All may not be lost for Dixons ice cream man Gary Redfearn.

Huddersfield Hub reported over the weekend how Gary had lost the tender to sell Dixons Milk Ices in Beaumont Park.

Gary had put in a bid of around £1,000 for the two-year tender but was told he had lost out to a firm from Bradford. He claimed he had been “let down” by the council.

The decision sparked a petition demanding a U-turn by Kirklees Council and Colne Valley Tory MP Jason McCartney also gave Gary his backing saying Kirklees should support local businesses.

So far more than 5,000 people have signed the petition.

Now Kirklees Council has issued a statement saying the tender process hasn’t been completed yet.

A council spokesperson said: “When there is competition for an exclusive licence to trade in a public place like Beaumont Park, we have to make a fair decision through a strict tender process which assesses and scores applications on a number of factors.

“This process has not yet been completed so it’s not appropriate to comment any further at this point.”