A rainbow row of colourful beach huts could turn Teignmouth’s Back Beach into a new attraction for residents and visitors alike.

Owners will be encouraged to decorate their beach houses and huts to create a collective work of art for the town – and a memorable sight for holidaymakers.

Town councillor Penny Lloyd has come up with the idea after seeing photos of a beach in Australia which is famous for its brightly painted huts.

The ‘Brighton Bathing Boxes’ at Dendy Beach in Melbourne are a much-photographed tourist attraction. There are nearly 100 huts, dating from the Victorian era when ladies needed a private space to change into swimwear. Some are painted in stripes or blocks of contrasting colours, others depict flags or pictures of animals, birds or sea creatures.

Cllr Lloyd is planning to launch a competition for Teignmouth’s beach hut owners to get the creative juices flowing, with the winner receiving a painting by local artist Clare Jenkinson of their decorated hut.

Cllr Lloyd said: “I want to encourage the owners of the permanent beach houses and the beach huts to really doll them up a little bit, make them all a little bit different, not only to turn them into a beautiful landscape but also a fun place for kids and families to come and look at them.

“It would make a real feature of Back Beach.

“The decoration of the Beach Boxes in Australia has made them all look absolutely gorgeous, and I could just see this being lovely in the same way.”

The details and timescale of the competition are still to be announced, but Cllr Lloyd hopes it’ll give beach hut owners an interesting project for the winter months, ready for Teignmouth’s own ‘bathing boxes’ to be in full colour for the 202 summer season.