A petition against the putting out to tender of a tea hut lease will be put before a City of London Corporation committee on July 7.

Sue Ireland, the City of London Corporation’s director of open spaces, today received the petition with more than 8,000 signatures from a ‘Save the Tea Hut’ campaign delegation at the Guildhall in the Square Mile.

Paul Morris who started the petition was joined by fellow tea hut regulars, Ralph Ankers and Steve Barron, who expressed concern over the ‘bikers’ tea hut in High Beech, Epping Forest being put out to tender.

The director thanked the campaigners for the petition and for delivering it in person and assured them she would give their views just representation to the committee deciding the tendering process.

She said: “The petition demonstrates a significant level of public passion for the current Hill Wood Tea Hut.

“The Superintendent and I will ensure your comments and views are properly presented to the committee and no doubt it will want to explore how these views might be reflected in the current tender process.

“Let me assure you all that the whole Epping Forest team remains dedicated to the Forest’s well-being and to ensuring that it is enjoyed widely by this generation and those to come.”

The current operator’s licence expires in December and current proprietor Bradley Melton,33, is likely to enter despite the campaign against the process.