A BEREAVED family has been left heartbroken after being told to give up an allotment which has been in the family for 80 years.

The family of the late Jeffrey Walton, from Chesterton, were told just weeks after he passed away that they would have to hand back his allotment site in the village near Bicester.

The allotments, off the A4095, were described as meaning 'everything' to Mr Walton before he passed away, age 72, after a battle with stomach and lung cancer in September.

He is survived by his three children Emma Pullen, Lisa Walton and Tanya Squire, who have since called on Chesterton Parish Council to let them keep the beloved plot.

Mrs Pullen, who also lives in Chesterton, said: "The allotment was dad's life, he loved spending each day there with his chickens and ducks, it was a place where he felt happy, until dad got poorly there was not a day that he did not go there."

The family hoped to be able to continue the tradition of looking after the plot when Mr Walton passed away, as he had done for his father and other family members before him.

But they were handed a notice to clear to plot and hand back the keys about two weeks after Mr Walton had died.

His daughter Ms Walton, now living in Preston, said: "It is absolutely heartbreaking for us. For 80 years it has been in the family and meant everything to my dad.

"He was born in the village and lived his entire life in the village, everyone knew him and would often see him riding his bike to his allotment.

"My sister Emma cared for my dad right to the end, to then make her empty the allotment is devastating."

She added: "We grew up with dad always at the allotment, if you couldn't find him you knew that is where he would be.

"He took it on from his dad so it was sentimental to him too. We wanted to keep that tradition going.

"So for them to be so heartless not long after her passed away – it's awful."

The family said Mr Walton, a grandfather of six, was often at the allotments with his grandchildren.

Mrs Pullen's sons Bradley, 14, and Harley, 18, helped when they could and Harley – who used to collect the eggs and pick apples from the tree planted by his grandad and great-grandad – hoped to take up the helm.

Chesterton Parish Council chairman Philip Clarke and council clerk Vic Keeble released a statement on the allotment which said: "The parish council was very sorry to hear of the death of Mrs Pullen’s father last year and recognises that because of his prolonged illness he was unable to cultivate his two allotments over a period of time.

"We took no action at the time because we felt we wished to be understanding in this situation."

The councillors said, having spoken to Mrs Pullen, who owns her own plot, they agreed to extend the clearance period for her father's plot by a further two months – four months in total.

It said: "The agreement is quite clear and unequivocal.

"When an allotment is given up through moving away or death the re-allocating reverts to the parish council.

"This is only fair to residents who are on our waiting list for allotments, some of whom have been on the waiting list for a considerable amount of time."