A decision on the future of a much-loved tea hut in Epping Forest has been delayed.

The City of London Epping Forest and Commons Committee was set to announce who would be granted the contract to run the hut, in Fairmead Road, High Beach, on Monday, but the decision has been further delayed without explanation.

The decision was first delayed in September when officials re-set the announcement date for this month.

More than 8,000 people signed a petition in support of the hut after the corporation announced earlier this year that it would be put out to tender.

The corporation said there was a need to increase revenue from the site amid a budget cut of 12.5 per cent.

Current manager Bradley Melton’s family has run the tea hut for 84 years and it has become a popular meeting place for bikers.

He said: “I just find it odd, we have all been waiting on the date for the decision to be announced and nothing was revealed.

“We have been constantly phoning and they will not speak to us or reply.

“We have no information to go on at all.”

A spokesman for the City of London Corporation said: “We are still in discussions with a number of parties involved in the tendering process and hope to have a decision soon.”