A GRIEVING father was left crying in his car after he turned up for a booked tattoo of his 16-year-old daughter and found the shop permanently closed.

Oxford Ink left a string of angry customers out-of-pocket when it shut earlier this month but for Allan Page the loss of his £250 was secondary to losing a precious picture of child Holly, who died in September.

See our original story - fury as tattoo shop disappears

The 49-year-old from Risinghurst had given the money and photograph, along with a poem, to tattoo artist ‘Bugs’ on February 1 at the Headington shop for reference and said there had been no indication the business would not be open the next day for his booking.

Mr Page said he was ‘devastated’ when he arrived and found the shop was locked up, adding: “I waited for around an hour and cried in my car. It was heartbreaking.

"I had mentally prepared myself and had Holly’s ashes with me to be used in the tattoo ink.”

Oxford Mail:

Allan and his daughter Holly

His wife Doreen, 48, who had her own inked tribute to their daughter done at Oxford Ink, said: “We’d been trying to book it since November and have been chasing a refund since the shop closed.”

She added: “The money took a long time to get together because we had other expenses for Holly's headstone.

"Almost worse than the money though is losing the photograph, we're just relieved we didn't bring the ashes too."

Mr Page is still without a tattoo of his daughter, who died from cardiac arrest, saying: “It takes time to save up for something like this.”

Oxford Mail:

The picture of Holly her father was going to have tattooed

Daniel Hall from Oxford Ink, who has repeatedly vowed to pay back all those owed refunds by the end of February, said he had nothing to do with the couple’s tattoo and had done ‘everything possible’ to get the pair in touch with the artist.

He added: “Everyone turns to me because I have been the face of Oxford Ink but really it was others responsible while I was grieving for my own father who died last year.”

His business partner Peter Wild has told the Oxford Mail he disputes this claim.

ALSO READ: Man left with 'hairy tongue' after cancer operation

Tattoo artist Warren Jeffrey, known as Bugs, said he had ‘saved’ the photograph from the floor of the shop and would return it to the Page family but insisted the ultimate responsibility lay with Mr Hall.

Oxford Mail:

He said: “It’s his shop and I was ready to do the tattoo that day, it was his fault the shop was closed. I’m liable for £125 and am still happy to honour that.”

Mrs Page said all the family wanted was a refund and the picture back. She explained: “A tattoo, especially one like this, is a really personal thing and the shop and artist Bugsy have lost our trust.”

Has anyone received their promised refund from Oxford Ink? Let us know below