A BEACH hut was destroyed and another badly damaged after being deliberately set on fire by yobs in Bournemouth on Friday night.

The hut at Southbourne Undercliff, was reduced to a blackened husk after being set alight at around 11.45pm. An adjoining hut was also severely damaged by fire.

The blaze was extinguished by fire-fighters at 12.38am on Saturday.

Both were council-owned huts that are rented out.

Over the course of the same evening four other council-owned beach huts were broken into.

On Saturday morning council workmen were boarding up the doors and windows of the properties.

The area where the huts were set alight is covered by CCTV, said beachfront staff.

Mum of six, Debbie Bramley, 44, who shares a nearby council beach hut with four other families, described the incident as "senseless".

She said: "It's awful, such a waste. Maybe they need regular patrols. Even with cameras it still goes on. We've been broken into a couple of times but not set light to.

"I don't expect it was a deliberate personal thing, but it's senseless."

Builder Bob Pearce, 44, father of four, who shares the same beach hut, said: "I think it's a great shame. My first reaction was I'm glad it wasn't ours' but feeling very sorry for the person who rents that out who has now lost the ability to come down and enjoy the beach.

"Fifteen minutes of fun for whoever did it is weeks for a family not being able to get down on the beach."

Police officers attended the scene on Saturday morning as part of on-going investigations into the incident, said a Dorset Police spokesman.

It is believed to be the first beach hut attack this year.

In November last year yobs caused thousands of pounds worth of damage when they torched beach huts in Southbourne resulting in two destroyed and two severely damaged.

Cllr Beverley Dunlop, Cabinet member for economy and tourism which includes the seafront, described the incident as "mindless", but added that the council's state-of-the-art CCTV system should help to tackle beach hut vandalism.

She said: "It's very sad that people vandalise the beach huts because they are there for people's enjoyment and a lot of them do contain personal property.

"However we do have a new CCTV system in place so we are able to monitor the seafront area and this will be a deterrent to would-be vandals."