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| Version 3 | Version 4 |
|---|---|
| Channel Tunnel disrupted by Calais fires | Channel Tunnel disrupted by Calais fires |
| (about 1 hour later) | |
| A burning tyre protest that blocked the motorway in Calais has disrupted Channel Tunnel rail services. | |
| Ferry workers had set fire to tyres on the road leading to the port to try and block the entrance to the French Eurotunnel terminal, the company said. | Ferry workers had set fire to tyres on the road leading to the port to try and block the entrance to the French Eurotunnel terminal, the company said. |
| The protesters ended their blockade at about 12:00 BST and services have since returned to normal. | The protesters ended their blockade at about 12:00 BST and services have since returned to normal. |
| Traffic from Folkestone on the cross-Channel rail service was not affected, Eurotunnel said. | Traffic from Folkestone on the cross-Channel rail service was not affected, Eurotunnel said. |
| Day return passengers were advised to reschedule their journeys. | Day return passengers were advised to reschedule their journeys. |
| Access to the terminal from Calais was blocked for a time, with congestion on the route from Boulogne. | Access to the terminal from Calais was blocked for a time, with congestion on the route from Boulogne. |
| Motorist Michael Shevlin told the BBC: "We got to within about 800m of the blockade and we saw like a big plume of black smoke against the blue sky and there seems to be about 50 to 60 protestors with white sheets." | Motorist Michael Shevlin told the BBC: "We got to within about 800m of the blockade and we saw like a big plume of black smoke against the blue sky and there seems to be about 50 to 60 protestors with white sheets." |
| Striking ferry workers had been protesting in Calais over job losses after Eurotunnel's sale of its MyFerryLink cross-channel service. | Striking ferry workers had been protesting in Calais over job losses after Eurotunnel's sale of its MyFerryLink cross-channel service. |
| A Eurotunnel spokesman said: "They were burning tyres and blockading the motorway, preventing access to the terminal. | A Eurotunnel spokesman said: "They were burning tyres and blockading the motorway, preventing access to the terminal. |
| "This was on the public highway, so we called the police and local authorities to remove the protesters and allow access to our terminal. | "This was on the public highway, so we called the police and local authorities to remove the protesters and allow access to our terminal. |
| "The protesters have now left of their own free will - it didn't look as if the police removed them," he said. | "The protesters have now left of their own free will - it didn't look as if the police removed them," he said. |
| There were some delays to services earlier on, he added, but most have been resolved and a full service for freight and passengers has resumed. | There were some delays to services earlier on, he added, but most have been resolved and a full service for freight and passengers has resumed. |
| But the company said because of heavy traffic on the motorway in Calais, cars and lorries were struggling to get through. | |
| Some freight services are running run half-empty because lorries were stuck in the tailbacks. | |
| Eurostar said the fire had not had any impact on its services. | Eurostar said the fire had not had any impact on its services. |