The staff at a chain Italian restaurant were only informed they had lost their jobs an hour before the news went public.

Prezzo announced yesterday that it planned to close 46 of its outlets across the UK including its restaurants in Didcot and Oxford.

The company blamed inflation and rising costs which it said made it difficult to make a profit in some locations.

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Assistant manager of the Didcot site Daniel Crocker, who has worked at the restaurant for nearly 10 years, posted a heartfelt message on social media yesterday.

He said: “I know there are many mixed reactions to the Didcot Prezzo closing.

"Like any business, sometimes we did good and sometimes we came short and failed.

“Being there personally for so long, I'm sure that like the restaurant itself, there was as many people who didn't like me just as much as there were people who loved me.

“I've worked there for nearly a decade and we found out the news not even an hour before it went public, so nobody is more shocked than we are.

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“I hope that Didcot manages to really use the space for something good, but right now all I care about is making sure that my team all have jobs because it’s such a great team of wonderful people.

“And I want to wish the best of luck to all my team, whom for many of them it was a first job and I was privileged to guide them and introduce them to the working world."

He continued: “For our regular customers over the years, I'm devastated that we will no longer have the opportunity to be the place you go week in, week out.

“And I will really miss seeing you walk through that door with your family and friends, this place was special to many of us.

“Thank you, Didcot, for giving me the opportunity to serve so many of you for so long.”

Following the news of the closure, Berro Lounge, a restaurant in the Orchard Centre, welcomed those who had been redundant to get in touch.

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The restaurant posted: “It has come to our attention that a lot of Prezzo sites have decided to shut their doors.

“With this being said, if anyone has been made redundant and is looking for a new challenge, you are more than welcome to give us a call.

“We would like to use our platform to say that we stand by all those who work in the industry, especially during difficult times like these.”