THE man who led the campaign against Tube ticket office closures in London is planning a victory party after the closure programme was scrapped.

James Bond said he was "ecstatic" following the announcement by Boris Johnson, Mayor of London, to keep open more than 40 ticket offices across the capital which had been under threat for more than a year.

He said: "It's great news, I'm absolutely ecstatic.

"This was not weasely words, it is a firm commitment.

"We really want to celebrate this now, we were always fighting for this victory and it has come a lot quicker than we thought."

Mr Bond, who mans the ticket office at North Harrow tube station, has led the campaign against the closure programme, arguing the safety of passengers would be at risk if the office closed.

He met Mr Johnson four times during the last year, convincing him to join the campaign and pledge to scrap the plans if elected mayor.

Mr Bond said: "I was the one who brought Boris Johnson to the station, and I knew we had to get rid of Ken Livingstone because he was the enemy of the ticket offices.

"I first met Boris at the House of Commons, and he didn't know about the ticket office programme. We talked about it, and that way, we got it into the Tory manifesto."

Mr Johnson announced yesterday at Mayor's Question time that ticket offices under threat would be kept open for the foreseeable future.

When answering a question from Navin Shah, assembly member for Brent and Harrow, Mr Johnson said: "Consider the threat has been lifted, annihilated, vapourised, liquidated, exterminated, removed, obliterated, as of now."

Mr Bond thanked the people who have helped the campaign, including Richard Williams, chair of the Headstone Residents' Association, Navin Shah, and a host of local councillors who have supported their bid to keep the office open.

They are holding a victory party outside the station from 5pm tonight to celebrate the decision.