'Barn size' beach hut provokes huge row in idyllic seaside town

Simon Saunders, 46, splashed out £235,000 on a hut on the Dorset coast before demolishing it and erecting a giant one-bedroom oak and cedar bungalow in its place.

The prestigious row of 14 huts date back to the 1930s and overlook the beach at West Bexington.

Oversized: Protesters say the structure dwarfs the other beach huts

Residents have now criticised the council for allowing Mr Saunders' plan to go ahead.

David Lyth, who lives in the area, said: 'There is a lot of anger in West Bexington.

'We want to know how the planners could allow a monstrosity to be erected in the middle of a row of beach chalets.'

'Barn sized monstrosity': The chalet, built by businessman Simon Saunders, had made neighbours furious

Lester Cowling of the West Bexington Heritage Group said: 'It has ruined the integrity of that iconic row of chalets that have been there for 70 years.

'The new building dwarfs the neighbouring properties and is totally out of proportion with them.

'It sticks out like a sore thumb and planning permission should never have been granted.'

The new hut is believed to be about 4ft higher than the other huts, but Mr Saunders defended his creation.

He said: 'The parish council saw all the plans, and all of the measurements on it. The measurements have been checked by the enforcement officer twice now.

The chalet that was demolished

'The row of chalets are all different and they have reflected individual tastes and changing tastes over the years.

'They were tiny little places to begin with and over the years they have all been extended.

'Ours is not as wide as the widest one and not as deep as the deepest one.'

West Dorset Council say they will now ask Mr Saunders, a former designer for Porsche and Aston Martin, to paint the chalet in a colour in keeping with the neighbouring huts.