Tear-jerking moment Spudman gifts OAP a free cheesy spud - as local hero is threatened with eviction by council 

This is the heartwarming moment baked potato sensation Spudman delighted an old man by giving him a free cheesy spud. The adorable interaction was captured in a video by the TikTok chef - who is currently threatened with eviction by his local council - and shared with his four million followers.

Spudman, real name Ben Newman, 39, who sells £5 jacket potatoes from his trailer in Tamworth, Staffordshire, has gained an army of fans on the social media app, where he shares clips about his business and customers - often giving away freebies. In one recent video, Ben filmed an old man, who approached his famous van and ordered a baked potato topped with cheese and butter.

After asking the pensioner how he was, the spud aficionado got to work making up the lunch time snack, slapping on a couple of knobs of butter and sprinkling a few large spoonfuls of grated cheese. He then asked: 'Would you like it wrapped up and in a bag? You taking it home?'.

The gentleman then double checked with the chef that he had put on plenty of butter while Ben assuaged his fears and confirmed he had added lots. He then wrapped up the little takeaway box in foil before popping it in a blue plastic bag for the customer who waited to hand over a fiver.

This is the heartwarming moment TikTok chef Spudman gave an old man a free cheesy spud. The potato specialist then took the cash off the OAP before jokingly handing it back saying: 'And there's your change'. As the pensioner looked on, confused, Ben told him it was on him today and his cheesy spud was free before wishing him a lovely day.

The heartwarming reaction has since gone viral on social media, as viewers said the simple yet kind reaction had left them in tears. The official UK TikTok account wrote: 'Protect this man at all costs.'. Others said: 'That man is worth €8.2 Billion';. 'Omg I’m crying at work because a man got a free potato';.

'The old man hasn’t seen politeness like that since after the war gave me hope for the country';. 'Not me being hormonal and crying at cheese and butter, bless him';. The potato specialist then took the cash off the OAP before jokingly handing it back. Spuman - real name Ben Newman - is being threatened with eviction by Tamworth council to make way for a flower bed.

The old man was delighted by the kind gesture and quickly scuttled away with his precious spud. 'Currently crying over a man ordering a jacket potato.'. It comes after Spudman has claimed to have had 'offers' to move out of his beloved town after facing eviction from his pitch by the local council.

He revealed Tamworth council wants to remove him from his spot in the town centre to plant a flowerbed as part of a so-called renovation. In a video posted on Facebook last week, Ben admitted he was 'frustrated' with the situation and was struggling to come to terms with the councils' plans.

'I have lost my pitch to a flowerbed. A flowerbed is more important than me,' he told his 1.5m followers. 'I feel so destroyed by this. The amount we've done and that's what I get - a flower bed on my pitch.'. Ben said that while the council had offered him other places to go, his current pitch is 'where I have built my business and that's where everyone knows I am'.

He added that 'a thousand other towns' would love the footfall they bring and claimed he had received offers to set up shop in other towns and cities. 'The only loyalty I've got to Tamworth now is not the assets of my business, it's the customers and the people of Tamworth that I've served for years,' he said. 'I want to stay here because of them, not because of the council.'.

The heartwarming reaction has since gone viral on social media, as viewers said the simple yet kind reaction had left them in tears. Earlier on Tuesday morning, Ben posted a TikTok video discussing a meeting planned several hours later with the council.

Speaking in the clip, Ben, who is undergoing dialysis for a kidney condition, said: 'So it's past two in the morning, and I got after up about half an hour ago, and I can't get back to sleep. 'So I thought I'd pull my thoughts out into the camera for a minute. Got this big meeting with the council tomorrow, [I will have to] sit there with a load of suits and defend my business,.

'It's nuts that has even got to this point that we've had to do all this just to keep our pitch, keep our contract, and keep the shipping container going on there that we were promised by the previous council.'. 'It's my livelihood. It's what feeds my children, keeps a roof over their head and stuff like that.

'Lot of people also said just, you know, up and go somewhere else. I don't want to. 'I love Tamworth. I love the people of Tamworth, and I want to be on our pitch for a long time to come and doing nice things for the people. 'So I'm going to go into that meeting tomorrow, and I'm not going to take anything less than what we've asked for, because I don't think I'm being unfair.