A strike by London Underground drivers is to go ahead on Boxing Day after the company lost a legal challenge to the action yesterday.

Members of the drivers’ union Aslef will stage a 24-hour walkout on Sunday over a claim for triple pay and a day off in lieu.

Mike Brown, LU’s managing director, said: “LU sought an injunction to prevent the disruptive and completely unnecessary strike action called by the leadership of the Aslef union.

“The union has unilaterally ripped up a long-standing agreement on pay and working hours that gave LU employees increased pay and 6.8 weeks holiday in return for working some public holidays, including Boxing Day.

“We have tried to resolve this dispute through negotiation, but our offer to reduce the number of drivers rostered to work on Boxing Day was flatly rejected, and union representatives walked out of talks at Acas. This left us no option but to seek a legal solution.

“We are disappointed that the court ruled against our application, particularly in light of the injunction won by train operator London Midland on Tuesday over exactly the same issue with Aslef.

“We will be running as many Tube services as possible on Boxing Day, as well as London’s 700 bus routes and some river services.

“We are also discussing with West End retailers how we can support more pedestrian VIP events in the near future, to encourage more shoppers to the West End.”

The High Court in London ruled against the company after a hearing lasting almost four hours.