A family faces eviction from their Magdalen College home after the husband spent almost 40 years working for the Oxford institution.

Pensioner Alan Morris, his wife Sylvia and son Richard face becoming homeless at the start of the New Year after the college launched legal proceedings to remove them from their five- bedroom terraced home in York Place, Oxford.

The college took Mr Morris to Oxford County Court on Friday, five weeks after the 65-year-old retired following 37 years as the college electrician.

In letters the Oxford Mail has seen — which are dated July — the college told the family to vacate their property when Mr Morris retired at the end of September.

In court, the couple said they could not afford to rent privately and asked for leniency.

Mrs Morris, 64, said it had been almost impossible for Oxford City Council to find suitable accommodation for them and son Richard, 32, who has learning disabilities.

The court has now given the family until December 31 to find alternative accommodation and ordered the Morris’s to pay £300 of a £1,065 legal bill.

Mrs Morris said: “I’m petrified of being homeless. We’re very much in limbo.

“We have made this our home, but at the moment we’re surrounded by cardboard boxes so we’re hoping the council will help us.

She added: “It says in my husband’s contract we should leave when his job finishes, but it’s disgusting to treat pensioners like this.”

The council’s tenancy relations officer Kevin Einon, represented the Morris’ in court.

He said: “We’re shocked and disappointed that not only have Magdalen College done this, but they’ve done it so speedily. It’s a very grave situation for someone who works for their employer for more than 35 years to be in court five weeks after retiring.”

Magdalen College senior bursar Charles Young said: “Mr Morris retired at the end of September at the age of 65 and he knew he should have left the property by September. He’s known that for many years, this hasn’t blown in out of the blue. We have already hired a new electrician who will need to occupy the house.”

He said if the Morris’ had not found anywhere to live by January, the college would force the family to leave the house.