A BUSINESSMAN who runs a North-East ticket office has condemned rail firms for planning to limit cheap ticket machines to larger stations.

Alex Nelson, who runs the independent office at Chester-le-Street Station, County Durham, said their cheap, advanced bookings, such as Apex, accounted for more than 100 sales a day.

The Association of Train Operating Companies is suggesting the new machines should not be installed where few passengers would make use of them.

Mr Nelson, who runs Chester-le-Track with business partner Steve Robson, said: "I would be extremely angry if there was any attempt to reduce the range of tickets you can sell.

"It's important passengers should have the choice to be able to buy all the different types they want.

"The majority of the tickets we sell are for long distance and we would react very badly if that was taken away from us."

The ticket office, which employs three people, was set up after a platform partnership with Northern Spirit, the franchise holders for operating local trains in the North-East.

Northern Spirit has said it has no plans at present to reduce ticket availability.