Airlines charge New Year revellers £700 for last-minute one-way flights to Paris after flooded tunnels cancel ALL Eurostar services – leaving 30,000 passengers stranded in London and scrambling to make alternative plans

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Airlines are charging desperate New Year’s revellers nearly £700 for last-minute one-way flights to Paris after Eurostar has cancelled all of its services due to floods hitting a major tunnel connecting Britain to mainland Europe.

The chaos has left around 30,000 furious Eurostar passengers stranded in London, ruining their New Year’s Eve plans as they scramble to make alternative plans, such as catching a flight to Paris.

Many hoping to ring in 2024 with a romantic night in Paris, watch fireworks from the ski slope or enjoy a family holiday to Disneyland have been left devastated, with some left in tears this afternoon at St Pancras International. 

The disruption began last night when water filled tunnels at Ebbsfleet International in Kent, disrupting all high speed services south of the Thames today.

Some passengers raced online to try book flights and salvage their end-of-year plans but were faced with soaring fares that were reportedly rising by the minute. Other upset passengers are racing to find a last-minute stay in London for the night.

But plane tickets between London and Paris, Brussels and Amsterdam have skyrocketed in response to the travel chaos, with Air France flights tomorrow afternoon being advertised at £675.

Have YOU been affected by the cancellation? Email oliver.price@mailonline.co.uk

Passengers at Eurostar terminal at St Pancras International after all trains were cancelled

Passengers at Eurostar terminal at St Pancras International after all trains were cancelled

An electric board informs passengers of Eurostar train cancellations at St Pancras International Station in London today

An electric board informs passengers of Eurostar train cancellations at St Pancras International Station in London today

An Air France flight from Heathrow to Charles de Gaulle Airport in Paris at 5.35pm on December 31 being advertised for £675 on Skyscanner

An Air France flight from Heathrow to Charles de Gaulle Airport in Paris at 5.35pm on December 31 being advertised for £675 on Skyscanner

One British Airways flight at 8.50pm tomorrow to Charles de Gaulle Airport from London Heathrow will set flyers back £403.

READ MORE: ‘I’m going to cry’: Eurostar cancels ALL services leaving 30,000 passengers stranded in London after tunnels were flooded – as New Year plans for romantic Paris nights out, skiing trips and family holidays to Disneyland are RUINED

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And despite being a budget airline, easyJet flights from Gatwick are being advertised as £371 at time of writing.

Cheaper air fares from the airline, at around £150,  will involve a more than four-hour trip as travellers will have to transfer at Glasgow International before arriving in Paris.

Meanwhile a man, presumed to be a taxi driver, was spotted wandering around the station clutching an iPad which said ‘taxi to Paris’ in bid to attract desperate holiday-goers.  

Amongst the heartbroken families was Dublin-based Luana Andrade, 36, who had been travelling to Disneyland Paris with her husband, three-year-old son and six relatives visiting from Brazil for their ‘dream trip’.

She said: ‘Our problem is to get a night to sleep because London is really expensive and we don’t have an Airbnb to stay at tonight.

‘We going to have to rearrange everything. I don’t think we are going to be able to spend New Year’s Eve in Paris because even if we get a flight for tomorrow we’re going to get there at like 10pm/11pm.’

They are amongst hundreds trying to find a last-minute stay in the capital so they are not left ‘homeless with children in the cold London night’. 

Mike Hardie, 40, and his partner Niecey had surprised 11-year-old twins Samira and Naima with a trip to Brussels, packing their suitcases and waking them up with the news they were going on holiday this morning.

But following the cancellations, the wealth manager from south-east London has decided to give up on their New Years plans all together and go home, adding that the cancellations have set them back at least £900. 

Mike Hardie's daughter Samira, 11, looks fed up after the family's surprise New Year trip to Brussels was cast into doubt by Eurostar cancellations

Mike Hardie’s daughter Samira, 11, looks fed up after the family’s surprise New Year trip to Brussels was cast into doubt by Eurostar cancellations

Luana Andrade, 36, and her husband Rondi Oroujo, 32,  who have been stranded along with six relatives from Brazil at the Eurostar terminal in St Pancras International station

Luana Andrade, 36, and her husband Rondi Oroujo, 32,  who have been stranded along with six relatives from Brazil at the Eurostar terminal in St Pancras International station

Tourist Nicole Carrera, whose plans to celebrate New Year at Disneyland Paris with her new husband have been 'ruined' after Eurostar services were pulled

Tourist Nicole Carrera, whose plans to celebrate New Year at Disneyland Paris with her new husband have been ‘ruined’ after Eurostar services were pulled

Passengers sit on the flood of the concourse at St Pancras International station as they wait for news on their trains

Passengers sit on the flood of the concourse at St Pancras International station as they wait for news on their trains

Passengers check their phones for updates on their travel from St Pancras. Network Rail says no services are expected to travel south of the Thames from the station today

Passengers check their phones for updates on their travel from St Pancras. Network Rail says no services are expected to travel south of the Thames from the station today

Some passengers took to X, formerly Twitter, to accuse Eurostar of 'ruining' their festive travel plans. Others criticised the operator's lack of communication

Some passengers took to X, formerly Twitter, to accuse Eurostar of ‘ruining’ their festive travel plans. Others criticised the operator’s lack of communication

Southeastern Railway shared this image of one of the tunnels at Ebbsfleet yesterday

A Eurostar notice at St Pancras informs passengers that the cancellations are due to 'an infrastructure problem on the high-speed line'

A Eurostar notice at St Pancras informs passengers that the cancellations are due to ‘an infrastructure problem on the high-speed line’ 

He told MailOnline: ‘We’re financially in an awful situation. There are no trains available for tomorrow either. 

‘We’re now down for the full cost of the hotel at £900, breakfast that would have been supplied on the Eurostar for £70, and the money to travel into Leicester Square to keep the kids entertained.

‘We’ve also got Legoland tickets that are non-refundable. There are no direct flights available, and the ferry is booked up — we have no other choice (but to go home).’

Another disgruntled traveller said she ‘freaked out’ when cancellations were announced, and has ‘nowhere to stay’ while she waits for trains to restart. 

Amongst the frustrated crowd were Dutch and French travellers trying to return home, some of whom were unable to understand the options available to them as advice on the Eurostar to rebook a train was only offered in English and French. 

Other passengers hit out at the train operator for allegedly poor communications over whether or not trains would actually run – even as National Rail said that the tunnels would be out of commission until the end of the day at the earliest.

Tourists try to look and rebook trains in Brussels after journeys to London were cancelled

Tourists try to look and rebook trains in Brussels after journeys to London were cancelled 

Upset passengers try and get help from Eurostar staff at Brussels Midi terminal to get trains back to London

Upset passengers try and get help from Eurostar staff at Brussels Midi terminal to get trains back to London

Passengers trying to get back to London try and speak with staff in Brussels gor help

Passengers trying to get back to London try and speak with staff in Brussels gor help 

Around 30,000 people are said to have been affected by today's cancellations

Around 30,000 people are said to have been affected by today’s cancellations  

 Some had tried to remain ‘optimistic and hopeful’ that their train would run before the train operator confirmed all 41 services planned for today would not go ahead.

The train operator said this afternoon that the situation in the tunnels between St Pancras International and Ebbsfleet had not improved and so Eurostar had made the ‘unfortunate decision to cancel all services for the rest of the day’.

READ MORE: Leaders of the wildcat strikers who heaped misery on tens of thousands of travellers in surprise Eurotunnel walkout after demanding bonus payments be trebled

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The cancellations have affected a total of 41 one trains, with Eurostar apologising for ‘the unforeseen issues affecting customers’ adding that ‘safety remains our number one priority’.

The disruption will affect around 30,000 people who have had their plans ruined,  according to the Independent. 

Travel journalist Simon Calder said he had spoken to families ‘in tears because their trip to Disney has been cancelled’ days before New Year, with others desperately seeking out flights and ferries in order to get their plans back on track. 

Engineers were seen this afternoon arriving at the tunnel entrance of the High Speed 1 in an attempt to get the services up and running again but warned the volume of water was ‘unprecedented’. 

Thames Water said that the flooding had been caused by a ‘fire control system’ rather than a pipe.

The water company confirmed it had sent technicians to support the control of the flowing water and is continuing to monitor the situation.  

Engineers arriving at the entrance of the High Speed 1 railway line near Ebbsfleet in Kent where the tunnel flooded

Engineers arriving at the entrance of the High Speed 1 railway line near Ebbsfleet in Kent where the tunnel flooded 

A tanker was amongst the vehicles to arrive at the site, as Eurostar and Southeastern high speed services remain cancelled

A tanker was amongst the vehicles to arrive at the site, as Eurostar and Southeastern high speed services remain cancelled 

Fed-up passengers hoping to get on a Eurostar to Europe wait in the terminal at St Pancras international

Fed-up passengers hoping to get on a Eurostar to Europe wait in the terminal at St Pancras international 

Earlier on today, anguished passengers were seen sat on the floor of the international terminal vented their anger, blaming the operator for a lack of information.

Amongst those infuriated passengers were Christina David, 25, and Georgina Benyamin, 26, from Sydney, Australia.

They have been travelling in Europe for almost a month and the final stop in their trip is Paris, where they hoped to spend New Year’s Eve before flying home on January 7.

The pair told how they have ‘travelled Europe on a budget’ before splashing out on an ‘expensive hotel with an Eiffel Tower view’ for the final leg of their trip.

Ms Benyamin said: ‘We travelled Europe on a budget and then like once we hit New Year’s we’re going to go hard, watch Paris light up, I don’t think that’s going to happen… I’m going to cry.’

‘New Year’s plans are cancelled,’ she said. ‘We booked another train for tomorrow, we’re just hoping that one doesn’t get cancelled as well because otherwise we’re actually f*****, we don’t know what to do. 

‘As long as we get to Paris that’s what matters, to get our flight home. Now we have to book a hotel to stay for the night here.’

Ms David added: ‘There were lots of people crying… we don’t know where to go, we have nowhere to stay.’ 

Passengers sit on the floor at St Pancras as they wait for news on their trains to Europe and south of the Thames

Passengers sit on the floor at St Pancras as they wait for news on their trains to Europe and south of the Thames

A family stands on the main concourse outside the entrance to the Eurostar terminal at St Pancras International on Saturday as they wait for news on their train

A family stands on the main concourse outside the entrance to the Eurostar terminal at St Pancras International on Saturday as they wait for news on their train

Travel journalist Simon Calder said passengers were left 'in tears' after their New Year trips to Disneyland were derailed

Travel journalist Simon Calder said passengers were left ‘in tears’ after their New Year trips to Disneyland were derailed

The Eurostar departure board shows that trains have been cancelled almost across the board ¿ though none are expected to run until tomorrow as they must pass through Ebbsfleet

The Eurostar departure board shows that trains have been cancelled almost across the board – though none are expected to run until tomorrow as they must pass through Ebbsfleet

Passengers at St Pancras on Saturday morning as it emerged that Eurostar and Southeastern services heading south of the Thames had been cancelled

Passengers at St Pancras on Saturday morning as it emerged that Eurostar and Southeastern services heading south of the Thames had been cancelled

Thousands of Brits' travel plans have been thrown off by the disruption on the High Speed 1 line

Thousands of Brits’ travel plans have been thrown off by the disruption on the High Speed 1 line

Passengers waiting for news on their Eurostar trains at St Pancras earlier on Saturday

Passengers waiting for news on their Eurostar trains at St Pancras earlier on Saturday

Two newlyweds visiting from New York said their plans to spend New Year’s Eve at Disneyland Paris had been ‘ruined’ due to the Eurostar travel chaos.

Nicole Carrera, 29, and her husband Christopher, 31, were due to catch a train from London St Pancras International to Paris on Saturday morning but it was cancelled due to flooding.

They have had to rebook for a 2.30pm outbound train on Sunday, scuppering their plans to spend New Year’s Eve at the theme park and leaving them out of pocket for a non-refundable hotel booked in Paris for Saturday evening.

My Eurostar train was cancelled – can I claim compensation? 

Eurostar has cancelled at least 29 trains to and from St Pancras International on December 30 as a result of flooding at Ebbsfleet.

The company told MailOnline that passengers can be compensated for emergency costs if they are ‘stranded as a result of service disruption’.

A spokesperson said the following can be claimed via the Eurostar website: 

  • Overnight accommodation: up to £150 OR 170€ per room/night (please note this is not per person) 
  • Meal costs: up to £50 OR 60€ per person, per 24-hour period 
  • Transfer between station and hotel/final destination (i.e. home): up to £150 OR 170€ per taxi (please note this is not per person)
  • Phone/internet costs incurred: reasonable costs on a case-by-case basis
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Ms Carrera, who works for cosmetics firm L’Oreal, said: ‘We actually got married in October and we had this trip planned before we got engaged.

‘So we’ve been in London since Wednesday and we wanted to leave today because we were actually supposed to go to Disney Paris tomorrow for New Year’s Eve.

‘So obviously those plans our ruined because now we won’t get into Paris tomorrow until about 6pm. So we’re just going to walk around the city (Paris) tomorrow when we get there and finally get to our hotel. It’s just one of those things.’

Ana Whitton, 45, who works in communications and lives in Sydney with her fiancé David Grude, said: ‘We’re meant to be going to Paris. We don’t really know what’s happening.

‘We came to see my family for Christmas, who are based in Worcester. My partner, he’s Australian so it’s his first time here, so we thought it would be fun to go to Paris, we are meeting friends from Australia. We have got a restaurant booked for New Year, for tomorrow.

‘It’s just a bit worrying because you don’t really know… it feels very uncertain, you don’t know if you are going to make it there today or maybe tomorrow.’

Simon Shaw, 36, and his wife Heather, 37, from Derbyshire, are travelling in a party of eight, comprised of their wider family and their son, eight, and daughter, five, hoping to reach the French Alps for a skiing holiday.

Mr Shaw said: ‘We just arrived and saw everything was cancelled this morning, got here at 7am and it was chaos so we don’t know what’s happening. We will get there one way or another.

‘We have done this a couple of times, just us and the kids, and it has been really efficient, really smooth, and today we’ve brought extended family with us and it’s all gone to pot. It’s just frustrating.’

She said ‘these things can’t be helped’ but feels ‘a little bit anxious on when we are going to get moving’.

Another passenger told BBC News of their struggles: ‘I’m desperate to get to Paris. I’m really, really desperate to be with my family on New Year.’

‘We’re not going home today,’ said another. ‘We’re just waiting and we’re hoping it’s going to be fixed.’ 

Problems with flooding became apparent last night, when Southeastern tweeted to say it would be running ‘very limited’ services to and from St Pancras when one of the tunnels at Ebbsfleet filled with water.

The operator shared an image of the curved rail tunnel, its track completely submerged in water, and later posted a video of water gushing into the underpass.

The flooded tunnels are used by high speed trains such as the Eurostar to connect to the Channel Tunnel – kiboshing the possibility of international rail services going ahead for the whole of December 30.

Eurostar trains have a capacity of approximately 750 passengers – suggesting thousands of travellers have had their plans disrupted. 

This passenger told BBC News: 'We're not going home today. We're just waiting and hoping it will be fixed'

This passenger told BBC News: ‘We’re not going home today. We’re just waiting and hoping it will be fixed’

This woman said she was 'desperate' to get to Paris in order to spend New Year with her family

This woman said she was ‘desperate’ to get to Paris in order to spend New Year with her family

Network Rail says no trains will run in the high speed tunnels at Ebbsfleet until the end of Saturday

Network Rail says no trains will run in the high speed tunnels at Ebbsfleet until the end of Saturday

Eurostar trains run directly from London to Paris, Brussels and Amsterdam, with connections via other Eurostar and domestic services to other European cities and destinations

Eurostar trains run directly from London to Paris, Brussels and Amsterdam, with connections via other Eurostar and domestic services to other European cities and destinations

A Eurostar train sits empty on the platform at St Pancras International on Saturday ¿ going nowhere amid the flooding at Ebbsfleet down the line

A Eurostar train sits empty on the platform at St Pancras International on Saturday – going nowhere amid the flooding at Ebbsfleet down the line

Passengers took to social media to express their frustrations at an apparent lack of information from Eurostar on the cancellations in both London and Paris

Passengers took to social media to express their frustrations at an apparent lack of information from Eurostar on the cancellations in both London and Paris

Despite the fact flooding at Ebbsfleet became apparent yesterday, international passengers heading for the continent appeared to be none the wiser when they arrived at St Pancras this morning.

One traveller named Jamal posted on X shortly after 5.30am on Saturday that departure boards ‘suddenly changed all trains to cancelled’ without warning.

He asked: ‘Is there a replacement train? What are our options?’ 

One would-be passenger, Parker Winston, wrote on X – formerly Twitter – that she had got up at 3.40am on her way to catch a Eurostar service, only to be forced back to bed after a frustrated journey.

Another customer aiming to get to London from the French capital wrote that there had been ‘no communication and no possibility to rebook’.

Other passengers have expressed confusion at the fact that Eurostar still says some trains are set to run – even though all services to the continent must pass through the flooded tunnel in order to reach Europe.

Camden councillor Liam Martin-Lane urged people to check if their trains were affected before heading to the international rail terminal.

He tweeted: ‘Absolutely NO Southeastern or Eurostar trains in or out of #StPancras.

‘Please check with the rail company before coming to the station, so that overcrowding can be avoided.’

Travel journalist Simon Calder posted on X, formerly Twitter, that St Pancras was in ‘chaos’ on Saturday morning.

Mr Calder later told BBC Breakfast: ‘I’ve been talking to people in tears because their trip to Disney has been cancelled.

‘We had some warnings yesterday afternoon that there were going to be problems because one of the tunnels beneath the Thames…was blocked because of flooding.

‘And at 4am this morning there was an announcement that both tunnels were blocked and there would be no trains initially this morning.’

He later added on Sky News that families, including some hoping to spend New Year at Disneyland Paris, were scrambling to book flights to keep their travel plans on track – with some even opting to get the car and drive via Dover.

Southeastern high speed trains sit in the sidings at Ashford International Station in Kent after their services were cancelled because of the flooding at Ebbsfleet

Southeastern high speed trains sit in the sidings at Ashford International Station in Kent after their services were cancelled because of the flooding at Ebbsfleet

Eurostar services are not running from St Pancras this morning due to flooded tunnels (stock image)

Eurostar trains at St Pancras, which hosts direct railway services to Paris, Brussels and Amsterdam from London

Eurostar trains at St Pancras, which hosts direct railway services to Paris, Brussels and Amsterdam from London

The disruption comes after Eurostar passengers' travel plans were derailed by wildcat union strikes in France days before Christmas (pictured: travellers at St Pancras during the strike)

The disruption comes after Eurostar passengers’ travel plans were derailed by wildcat union strikes in France days before Christmas (pictured: travellers at St Pancras during the strike)

Some passengers have questioned why Eurostar has never re-resumed services at Ebbsfleet International and Ashford International south of the Thames, which it canned during the coronavirus pandemic. 

The operator has never committed to returning to the stations on the High Speed 1 line, with chief executive Gwendoline Cazenave saying earlier this year it would look to do so ‘once we can afford it’ in remarks reported by The Independent.

In an update posted on its website, Eurostar said passengers can reschedule their booking free of charge or cancel their booking for either a credit note or a refund.

My Eurostar train was cancelled – can I claim compensation? 

Eurostar has cancelled at least 29 trains to and from St Pancras International on December 30 as a result of flooding at Ebbsfleet.

The company told MailOnline that passengers can be compensated for emergency costs if they are ‘stranded as a result of service disruption’.

A spokesperson said the following can be claimed via the Eurostar website: 

  • Overnight accommodation: up to £150 OR 170€ per room/night (please note this is not per person) 
  • Meal costs: up to £50 OR 60€ per person, per 24-hour period 
  • Transfer between station and hotel/final destination (i.e. home): up to £150 OR 170€ per taxi (please note this is not per person)
  • Phone/internet costs incurred: reasonable costs on a case-by-case basis
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The notice read: ‘Due to an infrastructure problem on the high-speed line near London, we’re having to cancel some trains on our route to/from London on Saturday 30 December. We are sorry for the inconvenience caused.’

Closer to home, Thameslink has warned passengers to expect delays on services because of a lack of staff. It told passengers to expect to wait longer for trains today, and to expect cancellations tomorrow. 

The company, which runs trains from Brighton and Gatwick through to Luton and Bedford via central London, has scrapped dozens of services today.

It said: ‘Due to issues with the availability of train crew, we are still expecting disruption to our services today, Saturday 30 December, and tomorrow, Sunday 31 December. Please continue to check our departure boards before travelling.’

Southeastern says it has staff tackling the flooded tunnels at Ebbsfleet, but does not expect services to run through the passageways today.

It tweeted: ‘We will be running NO highspeed services for the entirety of today, Saturday 30th December, due to flooding in the tunnels at Ebbsfleet. 

‘No trains will run between Ashford and St Pancras, or between Gravesend and St Pancras. Please use alternative routes.’

The latest travel crisis comes after British holidaymakers were held to ransom before Christmas, when French staff on Eurotunnel staged a wildcat strike.

Tens of thousands had journeys disrupted days before Christmas after unionised workers demanded a tripling of their end-of-year bonus of €1,000 (£866) before downing tools – blocking the Channel Tunnel and causing chaos in Paris and London.

Employees of Eurotunnel, a subsidiary of Getlink, said the wildcat strike was motivated by a ‘terrible deterioration of the social climate’. 

All service between Paris and Brussels and Paris and London was scrapped after the surprise strike started, appearing to catch even the St Pancras station reception and security off guard as they tried to clear platforms of passengers waiting to board.

Closer to home, transport has been plagued for days by inclement weather, with services across the UK heavily disrupted by Storm Gerrit earlier this week and further chaos expected this weekend.

Windy conditions will sweep across the UK on Saturday, according to the Met Office. Yellow weather warnings for ice and rain have been imposed in Scotland.

This is the latest round of travel misery caused by the Eurostar in the last 10 days.

Before Christmas, passengers were left stranded due to a wildcat strike by French Unions as well as weather warnings.