Work to build dozens of new beach huts on Lowestoft's South Beach reached another milestone this week.

The first delivery of materials for the beach huts arrived on Thursday, February 10, with more to come on Friday.

A section of the upper promenade will be closed on Monday, February 14 to ensure the materials can be offloaded safely by crane.

Further deliveries will then take place each Thursday and Friday, with the closure on Mondays, for the next seven weeks subject to weather conditions.

The work is being carried out by Lowestoft-based contractor MS Oakes Ltd.

Work, including cliff stabilisation, has been in progress since September.

Craig Rivett, the council's deputy leader and cabinet member for economic development, said: "This is an exciting step in the project to build these bold new beach huts which will absolutely help Lowestoft to gain further recognition as a visitor destination.

"These huts, along with other regeneration projects taking place along the seafront, will help to attract visitors to the town, enhancing the local economy and the lives of local residents."

Plans for the 72 new beach huts are part of East Suffolk Council's regeneration plans for the seafront and the town, with other developments already under way including refurbishments to existing beach huts near to Claremont Pier, as well as the repurposing of East Point Pavilion into a cultural and community space operated by First Light CIC.

The upper promenade will be closed between Cefas and Kensington Road, running alongside Kensington Gardens, which will remain open.

Diversions will be in place for pedestrians and cyclists, and nearby car parking may also be affected during deliveries and offloading.

Construction of the new huts is expected to be completed in May, with 36 available to purchase and the remaining 36 available for short-term hire.

The two-tier design split opinion among locals, with one councillor at an earlier planning meeting comparing it to Marmite, given the 'love it or hate it' response.

The new huts will replace the previous 58 chalets, which were closed in 2016 due to safety concerns.