St Albans has again been named as one of the poshest places in property, ranking high on two countdowns of £3m-plus homes.

Remember when a million pound property was considered 'prime'? Not for a long old while in our part of Herts.

These days, £1m will get you a modest three-bed semi on Hamilton Road, or a two-bed flat in Bricket Wood's (admittedly rather fancy) Hanstead House.

Definitions of 'prime' tend to vary, with Enness Global making £3m the cut off for its research.

In our area, only three properties are presently for sale in this price bracket - Alban House on St Peter's Street, which is currently serviced apartments (£3.5m), a six-bed pad on King Harry Lane, with gardens adjoining Verulamium Park (£3.25m), and a five-bed pile with pool in Sandridge (£8.5m!)

Oh, to have an £8.5m budget!

For those of us lacking the cash for that level of investment, there are always beach huts - though we may be priced out of that market, too.

The cash required for a little wooden shed by the sea has increased by an average of 41 per cent over the last year and now stands at £36,034 on average.

There's good news for hut hirers, however, as lockdown restrictions have seen rental prices drop by -4.1 per cent.

Hoo looked at five popular staycation locations and found that the average daily rate of renting a beach hut now sits at £52.

Bournemouth is at the more affordable end, with an average daily rate of £26, while Mudeford in Dorset is for high rollers only at a hefty £130 (double the average daily rate of a hotel, which is £64).

With many of the most popular UK holiday destinations booked up for this summer, some of us may find ourselves taking staycations to the next level and holidaying in our actual homes.

At least we're allowed friends in the garden now, and all being well we'll soon be able to dine inside restaurants!

Who needs overpriced beach huts anyway? I've got a garden shed and, the way things are going, I'm going to have to use it.