Passengers face delays as Eurotunnel cancels tickets amid hot weather
Cross-Channel rail operator Eurotunnel has cancelled thousands of tickets after "extreme temperatures" caused major disruption to services.
The firm took the "unprecedented decision" to stop passengers from travelling on Friday if they were due to return on the same day or on Saturday in a bid to ease long queues.
Passengers faced delays of up to six-and-a-half hours on Thursday when air-conditioning units failed on trains.
Update: There is currently 60 min wait Pre Check-in, 2h30 wait on our Passenger service from Folkestone. This is due to the extreme temperatures affecting the shuttle air conditioning. We're sorry for the inconvenience caused to your journey. ^FF
-- Eurotunnel Le Shuttle (@LeShuttle) July 27, 2018
As of Friday morning, the operator was warning of delays of three-and-a-half hours.
It said: "The prolonged and unprecedented temperatures in the South East of England are affecting the air-conditioning on board our shuttles.
"Due to the high level of traffic booked, we are currently unable to check in any customers arriving more than two hours before their booked crossing time.
"We strongly recommend that you stock up with water and take a comfort break prior to arriving at our Folkestone terminal."
The unprecedented high temperatures are affecting the operation of air conditioning on our shuttles resulting in long delays. We strongly recommend you stock up with drinking water before you arrive at our terminal; there is a long queue to check-in with no access to facilities.
-- Eurotunnel Le Shuttle (@LeShuttle) July 27, 2018
On Thursday, Eurotunnel warned that ferry companies "do not have availability to take any of our customers".
It is one of the busiest weeks of the year for cross-Channel travel as the start of many school summer holidays leads to a surge in family trips.
