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'Beach hut millipedes keep me up at night'

Thelma Bartlett Hundreds of dead millipedes curled up on a concrete floorThelma Bartlett
Thelma Bartlett describes the millipede outbreak as "absolutely horrific"

A woman whose beach hut has been plagued by "thousands" of millipedes has said the thought of it keeps her up at night.

Thelma Bartlett has been renting the seaside sanctuary in Branksome Chine, Dorset, for almost 30 years.

The infestation began in September 2023, with hoards of the creatures "taking over" the property, according to the 72-year-old.

Richard Herrett, from Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole (BCP) Council, said a maintenance team had been sent to visit the hut.

Thelma Bartlett A man and a woman in their seventies sitting on chairs outside a beach hut. The woman is wearing a pink top with blue cropped trousers and is holding a drink. The man is grinning and wearing a blue and white-striped top with blue camouflage-print shorts. In the background is a sandy beach with blue sea. It looks sunny.Thelma Bartlett
The couple have spent decades relaxing at the beach hut without any issues

Ms Bartlett began renting the Poole-based beach hut in 1996 so she could share her love of the seaside with her family, following a childhood living on the Cornish coast.

"The first time it happened was last year. They were in our towels, in the washing up bowl, there were just thousands of them," she said.

Together with her partner, Rob, she swept the millipedes out of the hut.

But the next time they visited, the creepy-crawlies had returned in their droves.

"They absolutely stank, they were everywhere. I'd wake up in the night thinking about them and get goosebumps," Ms Bartlett said.

Ms Bartlett told the BBC she may have to give up the hut

The couple, who pay BCP Council £275 a month to rent the beach hut, said they had used three tubs of ant killer powder to try to tackle the problem.

"Nothing is working," Ms Bartlett said, adding: "Every time you visit you're just wondering how many millipedes will be there today."

Other beach huts in the area have reportedly faced similar problems.

"We give the council £3,300 a year for this, and they've done nothing to help except offer to fill in any holes in the walls and tell us to sweep them outside," she said.

Getty Images A row of beach huts on the promenade next to a sandy beach. Some of the rows are two-tier. They have blue glass balconies. Behind the beach huts is green vegetation and trees, with a building which looks to be a block of flats or a hotel on the clifftop. The sun is giving a slight orange glow to everythingGetty Images
The beach hut is one of more than 2,700 managed by BCP Council

Ms Bartlett, who likes to use the beach hut as a base when she swims in the sea, said she had to spend about 45 minutes clearing up the millipedes and their faeces each time she visited.

"I can't even walk in there barefoot, I want to give it up, I can't cope," she said.

Mr Herrett, portfolio holder for destination, leisure and commercial operations, said: “We are aware that millipedes can naturally be present nearby and can migrate inside cliffside beach huts at this time of year.

“Our maintenance teams have visited this particular hut. We are in touch with beach hut licensees at Branksome Chine to provide further advice and are looking at potential solutions.”

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