Exclusive Beach Huts Turned Into 'Drinkers' Paradise' Amid Outdoor Seating Dispute

In October 2025, a dispute has erupted in the exclusive Mudeford Sandbank community in Dorset, England over the installation of outdoor seating at a local beachside cafe. According to the owners of the area's expensive beach huts, worth up to £500,000 each, the eight new wooden benches have effectively turned the once-tranquil seaside into a "pub beer garden."

Hut owners have complained of "drunken" and "rowdy" behavior, as well as litter from plastic beer cups, spilling out onto the previously family-friendly beach. They allege the cafe is now serving alcohol throughout the day, rather than just with meals as originally intended, leading to an influx of "drinkers" and a deterioration of the area's peaceful atmosphere.

The cafe has applied for planning permission to make the temporary COVID-era outdoor seating permanent, but this has sparked a backlash from the wealthy hut owners. They argue the expanded footprint of the business is destroying the protected natural environment and wildlife of the Christchurch Harbour spit. One hut owner warned it is "only a matter of time before there is a serious accident" due to intoxicated boaters.

Despite the cafe claiming the benches have the "overwhelming support" of the general public, the hut owners insist they are pursuing a "vendetta" against the local community. The dispute highlights the tensions between the exclusive beach hut owners and the wider public's access to the picturesque Mudeford Sandbank.