Richards' beach hut blow-out

Showbiz

09:30 01 August 2006

Keith Richards has splashed out £60,000 on a beach hut.

The hut - which is no bigger than an average garden shed - is located on the quiet English beach resort of West Withering.

As well as the initial cost - which was £20,000 more expensive than similar properties in the area - Richards is liable to pay an additional £294 a year for ground rent and car parking facilities.

Peter Morton, who oversaw the sale, claims Richards agreed to pay the sizable sum because the miniature huts are in great demand.

He told Britain's Mail On Sunday newspaper: "There's no obvious logic about the price people pay. It's simply the matter of supply and demand."

The 62-year-old rocker's latest property investment is a far cry from his usual luxuries - loud music is banned in the idyllic resort and there is no electricity or running water supply.

Richards is already familiar with the village - which he previously described as "God's little acre".

In 1966, he purchased a country home in the area - at which he and bandmate Mick Jagger were famously arrested in a drugs raid.

(C) BANG Media International