The UK Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office (FCDO) has issued an urgent alert for British travellers heading to France, warning of significant disruption following a major incident in the Channel Tunnel.
Power Cut Forces Channel Tunnel Closure
The travel chaos began after a power supply failure in part of the Channel Tunnel forced its operator to suspend all services. The incident, which occurred on the night of 29 December 2025, led to the complete shutdown of the vital transport link between the UK and continental Europe.
As a direct result, Eurostar was compelled to axe all of its London-to-Europe departures for the entire day of 30 December 2025. A broken-down LeShuttle train, which was caught in the tunnel during the outage, has since been safely removed. The operator confirmed that no passengers were left stranded inside the tunnel itself.
Official Foreign Office Guidance Updated
In response to the ongoing situation, the Foreign Office swiftly updated its official Foreign Travel Advice. The guidance now states: "Eurostar services to and from Belgium, France and the Netherlands are experiencing severe delays and last-minute cancellations. Eurotunnel LeShuttle services between UK and France are also disrupted. Travellers should expect disruption and check the latest service updates with operators."
This formal warning underscores the scale of the problem and advises all affected passengers to proactively seek information from their travel providers.
Gradual Resumption of Services Expected
Getlink, the company that manages and operates the Channel Tunnel, provided a statement on the recovery efforts. It confirmed that a technical intervention related to the power supply was underway. The firm announced that LeShuttle traffic was expected to resume gradually from around 1500 Central European Time (CET) on 30 December.
"Our teams are working to restore the situation as quickly as possible," a Getlink spokesperson said. "Waiting times will be adjusted throughout the day. Eurotunnel apologises for the inconvenience and thanks its customers for their patience and understanding."
The incident caused lengthy queues at terminals, notably at the Eurotunnel site in Folkestone, Kent, as passengers awaited news on when services would restart. While LeShuttle journeys are set to resume, Eurostar passengers face continued uncertainty, with all services from London to the continent scrapped for the day.
Travellers are strongly advised to check directly with Eurostar and Eurotunnel LeShuttle for the very latest service updates before commencing any journey to France.
