Accessible manual boarding ramps, which were installed to help spectators using wheelchairs travel to the London 2012 Games, will be retained after they were well received by customers, Transport for London (TfL) has announced.

The ramps were used at 16 key London Underground stations, including Southfields, where there is a gap between the train and the platform, and will remain in in use for the next few months while a review is conducted by TfL.

Caroline Pidgeon, Leader of the Liberal Democrat London Assembly Group, who has pressed for the ramps to be retained, said:

"This announcement ends some uncertainty - it would have been a scandal if these ramps were removed just days after the Paralympic Games.

"However why even bother with a review? The ramps have proved both necessary and successful. They should not only be permanently maintained but extended to more tube stations."