Lightning causes Eurostar delay

HUNDREDS of Eurostar passengers were delayed after a lightning strike on the UK side of the Channel tunnel.

Lightning sparked a fire in a building close to the entrance of the tunnel, at Ashford in Kent, yesterday.

A spokesman for Eurostar said that four trains were delayed, two from Paris to London, one from Brussels to London and one from London to Paris.

The train out of London heading to Paris was forced to return to the UK capital’s St Pancras Station, but the other three trains eventually arrived at their destination following major delays.

Customers were offered taxis and hotels where necessary.

There were no reports of injuries, and no trains were stuck in the tunnel.

Services are expected to return to normal today.

Photo: Jason Rogers