Loyal staff at country estate face the sack after 12-year-old grandson inherits entire 6,000 acre property
Veteran workers were handed redundancy letters after decades of service to the grounds
A COUNTRY estate inherited by a 12-year-old boy has caused fury after sacking its workforce.
The Port Eliot estate in Cornwall has been run by estate agents Savills since aristocrat Peregrine Eliot died aged 75 in July.
It does not pass to grandson Albert until he comes of age in 2022.
Savills has sent redundancy letters to six veteran staff, some who live on the 6,000-acre site.
Employment union Unite said “grown men have been left in tears”.
He added: “This is cruel news for the highly skilled and loyal workers at the Port Eliot Estate and their families in the new year.
"Despite the fact the pay is low even by Cornish standards, grown men have been in tears at the prospect of being thrown out of their homes early in 2017.
The grounds has played host to a renowned literary festival that draws in celebrities and writers far and wide.
Savills said a review is under way and no final decision on the redundancies had been made.