UK & World News
The latest UK & World news stories from the Press Association.
Ministers demand Eurostar answers
14:05, Dec 21 2009
Eurostar management are coming under increasing pressure to explain why trains ground to a halt in the cold weather.
Transport minister Sadiq Khan said he is "angry" that passengers had still not been told what was going on, and his French counterpart demanded to know what had gone wrong.
More than 2,000 passengers were trapped in the Channel Tunnel overnight on Friday after the cold weather struck.
There have since been three days of cancellations, leaving the 55,000 passengers who had booked tickets either stranded or forced to make other arrangements.
Eurostar has announced an immediate independent review of the problems and said it hopes the service will be back up and running on Tuesday.
Mr Khan said: "This has been a terrible experience for thousands of passengers, both those stranded on the trains and at the stations and the many thousands more who face having their Christmas holiday plans disrupted.
"I am angry that passengers have still not been told what is going on and I have told Eurostar this morning that they must tell the public immediately what their plans are to get more people moving.
"I hope this will include the resumption of services as soon as possible. It's important that passengers get absolute clarity of what they can expect over the next few days. I have secured an independent inquiry into all aspects of this ongoing incident which will report directly to me."
French transport minister Dominique de Bussereau also demanded explanations, saying: "We cannot imagine that this mode of transport, which is fundamental between France and England, between England and Belgium and the rest of continental Europe, doesn't work because it's snowing outside.
"Therefore, the government is asking, number one, for explanations, number two, we are going to do our own probe, number three, we demand that measures be taken so this does not happen in the future."
Being lonely 'worse than smoking' 01:05, Feb 10 2012
Being lonely in old age will propel you to the grave more quickly than smoking, a senior Downing Street adviser said as part of an effort to encourage people to retire later. more
PM support for NHS change 'drifted' 00:05, Feb 10 2012
David Cameron and other senior ministers have been criticised for backing away from public sector reforms amid heavy political pressure. more
Gas call centres go face-to-face 00:05, Feb 10 2012
British Gas customers will be able to talk face-to-face with staff when they telephone call centres through a new video service, the company has announced. more
MoD budget claims 'over-optimistic' 00:05, Feb 10 2012
Claims the Ministry of Defence has finally got to grips with its equipment budget after years of cost overruns and delays may be "over-optimistic", MPs have warned. more
Three million CRB checks in a year 00:05, Feb 10 2012
Three million background checks were carried out in England and Wales last year, figures show. more
Girls in gangs warned of rape risk 00:05, Feb 10 2012
Girls involved with gangs are often raped by male members, teenagers have been warned, as the Government announced £1.2 million funding to help victims. more
Action on bonuses 'is pro business' 21:05, Feb 9 2012
Ed Miliband has accused the Government of defending the interests of the "irresponsible few" in the row over City bonuses. more
Mills rejects claims over voicemail 19:05, Feb 9 2012
The former wife of Sir Paul McCartney did not authorise former News of the World editor Piers Morgan, or anybody else, to listen to her voicemails, she told the inquiry into press standards. more
Sisters named oldest living twins 18:05, Feb 9 2012
Two 102-year-old sisters have been recognised as the world's oldest living twins by the Guinness Book of Records. more
The latest UK & World news stories from the Press Association.
