THE devastated owner of a beach hut has spoken of his family’s heartbreak after their pride and joy was washed away in Storm Ciara.

The owner, an 87-year-old man, told the Echo how the family used the beach hut frequently over summer.

The beloved beach hut, on Thorpe Bay beach, collapsed last week and had to be removed by the family.

And the family were not the only ones to suffer at Ciara’s hand, with several other beach huts nearby facing similar damage.

The owner said: “The beach hut will rise from the ashes. Everyone’s quite upset about it.

“We all use it when the weather is nice.

“We tried to do it all up inside. There was a lovely table and chairs and a cooker in there.

“We have the responsibility of clearing it up. We’ve dismantled it and got rid of it.”

He added: “I’m sure it will be up and running properly soon.

“We hope it is done and we can use it by May and June. We’ve been recommended some builders by other beach hut owners so we’ll take a look at them.”

Storm Ciara had a huge impact across Southend, with flooding causing major issues across the seafront.

Adventure Inside was flooded for the second time this year, prompting meetings to be planned with bosses at Southend Council on the issue of flood defence.

Several roads and the famous pier were all closed early last week, with the high winds and high tides deemed to dangerous for drivers and visitors.

The Cliffs Pavillion also saw part of its roof torn off, as well as nearby hoardings forcibly tied down by workers.

Pictures show that work to fix the roof has already begun.