MSBHA chair Darren Pridwell said owners had already seen their annual fees “almost treble to over £5,200” as the council sought to harmonise charges along the coast.

He said: “Mudeford hut owners may have a degree of sympathy for these increased costs if the level of services were at an acceptable level, but there has been next to no investment in facilities in the recent past and these are now desperately needed.

“It feels like this is all take and no give.”

Beach hut owner Gemma Paterson said her family, who have owned their hut for three generations, already had to rent it out to afford the ground rent and existing council tax payments.

“Most people think all the beach hut owners are rolling in money, this is not the case, especially for myself and my family,” she said.

“We don’t have running water and we haven’t seen any improvement in the facilities over 20 years.

“How can they justify increasing the council tax when we can only stay in them for 8 months of the year?”

The council hopes the change will raise about £211,000.

BCP finance councillor Mike Cox said: “It is a small amount, but we have to pull every lever we’ve got and this is just one of them.”

The proposal will be discussed by cabinet on 14 January.