A 78-year-old cancer sufferer celebrating after winning an 11-month battle against Russian red tape has issued a vote of thanks to everyone who helped him.

John Gordon, who counts Hitchin as his UK home but spends most of his time operating language schools in the former former Soviet state, was diagnosed with prostate cancer early last year.

After having surgery to remove part of the gland he was receiving radiotherapy treatment from experts at a Russian hospital when his visa expired in August last year.

Vladimir Putin’s immigration services tried to remove him while he was recovering in hospital but were prevented by doctors.

But once he returned to his Russian home in September he was taken from his house by two policemen and brought before a court, where a judge ordered that he should be removed from the country.

Dr Gordon, who has lived between Russia and Hitchin since 1994, said: “I had to relentlessly fight against the immigration service and had to appeal to the Moscow Federal Court in order have my deportation order overthrown.

”It’s been a real battle but I never lost hope and have thankfully managed to come out victorious.

“The locals in Russia couldn’t have helped me more and I have to thank Irina Strukova from the Samara Human Rights Organisation for getting me a decent lawyer and Ordran Gorbachev who performed a very successful operation on me.

“I must also thank Peter Robbins, Christine Powell and Hitchin and Harpenden MP Peter Lilley for campaigning my cause in the UK.”