Colourful beach huts along the shore filled with people enjoying the sun are a common sight in many coastal towns.

But it apparently isn't the case with a row of 22 huts near Par Sands beach, close to St Austell.

The timber structures were built in 2018 by Cornwall Council and reportedly cost a whopping £125,000, according to a Freedom of Information Act request previously submitted by a member of the public.

However, since being set up eight years ago, they have never been rented out and have failed to make any money.

The council made the decision to remove the beach huts after they were unable to find someone to manage them.

They are now undergoing refurbishment before being relocated to other council-owned spots.

The 22 beach huts near Par Beach, Cornwall, are being removed by the local council

Local Reform UK councillor Ian Wilson has slammed the outcome as a 'big disappointment'.

According to Cornwall Live, he told Tywardreath and Par Parish Council: 'Sadly, £125,000 of taxpayers' money has been wasted by Cornwall Council.

'This was a big disappointment for me as a lot of effort went into trying to get the huts back in use.'

Cllr Wilson claimed he personally tried to save the huts and even offered to manage them for free and pay for public liability insurance.

He told Cornish Times: 'I tried to set them up as a beach-style marketplace, where local arts and crafts and produce could be displayed and sold and I had interested local artisans lined up to use a few of the huts, the hope being that once up and running others would be encouraged to join in.

'I offered to manage the huts myself, free of charge as a volunteer, and even pay for the public liability insurance required by Cornwall Council personally. I had a quote ready to go.'

However, he said he 'couldn't get past Cornwall Council's internal bureaucracy and had to concede and give up'.

Locals have expressed their frustration over the years on social media, including one comment on one of Cllr Wilson's posts on Facebook that read: 'I am sure the locals would love to rent these on an annual basis. I can't understand why they have sat empty rotting for so long when they could have been making their cost back.'

Another fumed: 'Put the beach huts on the beach you'll find people will want to rent them at the moment they're totally in the wrong place.'

In 2024, Cornwall Council said the total cost of the project was £124,567 at the time.

Since being built in 2018, the huts have never been rented out and have failed to make any money

In the FOI response, it said: 'The huts at Par have not been let out to date and have provided no revenue income.'

At one point the smaller huts (150cm x 180cm) were being offered for an annual fee of £900, while the larger ones (240cm x 180cm) would cost £1,100 to rent per year. It is not known what the rental cost would be currently.

'The beach hut installation was finalised in 2019, meaning that the first year they were available for operation was 2020, which was affected by the lockdowns of the Covid pandemic, and they were not let out for that reason,' the council response continued.

'Since then, Cornwall Council has run three open tender rounds with an aim to secure a managing tenant, the latest in Spring 2024 and seeks to run another open round of tenders in advance of the 2025 season.'

The council told Cornwall Live: 'We have been working with Par Beach Management Group to explore future uses of the space at the beach and nature reserve which could include picnic tables and seating.'

The Daily Mail approached Cornwall Council for comment.