Hutters' fury over demolition plans

But now, the 50 humble huts on the Angus coast at Carnoustie face demolition unless they are saved by a last-ditch civil legal action tomorrow.

The 39 "hutters" – mostly from the central belt and west of Scotland – are fighting eviction by their landlord, Shoreline Management, which wants the structures razed to the ground to pave the way for an extension to its neighbouring holiday park.

A minority of elderly and disabled hutters have already agreed to leave their properties before the 30 April deadline, but the rest have vowed to fight the move.

They claim to have a "historic right" to stay in their huts, as many of them have leased the land their shacks occupy for up to 40 years.

But in an increasingly acrimonious dispute, Shoreline insists it will carry through its eviction plan by the end of this month and says the hutters are "selfish, horrible people" whom it wants off its land.

Wooden-hut communities designed to give war veterans a taste of healthy, rural life have been a feature of Scottish life for decades. But over time they have been adopted by families, friends and other tenants who want low-rent accommodation for occasional breaks.

Although there are around 50 huts at the Barry site, no two are the same. They have evolved into odd shapes with DIY-extensions added as families grow.

The Barry Hutters' spokeswoman, Pauline Rowling from Glasgow, whose family stays "almost every weekend" at her hut, claimed that their way of life and a vibrant community is being torn away from them.

"It is really very sad and is quite devastating, to be honest. One couple has been coming for 42 years. Another for 36 years and our next-door neighbour has been here 30-odd years.

"Our way of life is being destroyed. We all know each other and look after each other. It was a cheap holiday for families living in the city, but it provided more than that. It was so relaxing, and gave a lot of kids from urban areas the chance to experience something different in the country. The kids all play together, all the old-fashioned games like rounders, hide and seek, or on their bicycles. It's a kids' paradise."

"I know it's the company's land but the huts have been here for over 80 years. It's got a long history."

Retired couple Tom and Cathy Diamond, from Glasgow, have owned their hut for 22 years. They will attend the hearing at Arbroath Sheriff Court tomorrow to hear the decision on their future.

"We've done the place up over the years and made it our home from home," said Mrs Diamond. "It's the perfect place to get away from the rat race. It is so peaceful and quiet but close to the beach, the Dundee shops, Arbroath, and Lunan Bay. I don't know what we'll do if we can't come here. Nothing will be the same. All we'll have is our memories. It will be very sad to leave."

Tom and Eileen Cairns, from Cardowan in North Lanarkshire, have been coming to their hut for 15 years. He said: "We're absolutely devastated to be getting chucked out of this place, which holds a lot of fond memories for us. To just have it taken away from us, and probably bulldozed to the ground, is awfully hard to take."

The hutters paid an annual ground rent of 250 to the previous landowner, but it was almost doubled to 470 when Shoreline took over the adjacent Barry Downs Holiday Park in 2007. It also ordered the hutters to carry out extensive improvements to the huts to, it said, bring them in line with health and safety regulations.

The holidaymakers were told they faced being evicted if they did not carry out the maintenance work.

One hut owner, William Wright, raised a court action against the holiday company in 2008, claiming that the hutters had a historic right to live there and that repairs were Shoreline's responsibility.

But this was eventually rejected by the court, and now the remaining hutters are hoping their case at Arbroath t tomorrow will be more successful.

There is a precedent for huts built for returning servicemen to be saved. In 2000, hutters on the Carbeth Estate in Stirlingshire, who were also threatened with eviction, won a reprieve when the local council announced plans to make their community a conservation area, meaning planning permission would be required to demolish them.

Andrew Young, of Shoreline Management Ltd, said: "Their eviction date is April 30 and I can't wait till they are gone. It is our land after all and we don't want them there. It's not vindictive – there is no particular reason for their eviction – I just don't want them there.

"They're very selfish, horrible people. How could people take their children there for their holidays? They foul straight into the ground, it's not safe, it's full of asbestos and vermin. It's not pleasant to live around."

Young added: "We don't have any immediate plans for the area. We'll just level the area and tidy it up. It'll be better for the area as a whole when they are gone."