Eurostar finally starts running trains again

Hundreds queued to get the first trains out of St Pancras International today as the Eurostar began running for the first time since Friday.

Families spoke of their anger that they were not guaranteed a seat. The first train left just after 7.30am.

There is a reduced number of trains and they will stop at 6pm this evening and resume again tomorrow.

Marc Stevens, 39, his wife and 18-month-old daughter were among thousands stuck when snow got into the electrics of a number of trains.

Mr Stevens, an IT worker from Reading, Berkshire, who was due to travel to Paris on Saturday, said: "We are travelling with a young child yet we are not assured of a seat.

"It's been an appalling few days as we have missed out on seeing relatives who had never met our daughter. We just want to go now."

A limited service was resuming for passengers who had tickets for December 19 and 20, and was then working through remaining ticket holders over the next few days.

Eurostar chief executive Richard Brown said he was "very, very sorry" about the breakdownsand that modifications to the trains were being tested.