Eurostar trains hit by severe delays as French customs officers continue Brexit protest

Un Eurostar près de Calais, France, Mars 2019
Un Eurostar près de Calais, France, Mars 2019 Copyright REUTERS/Pascal RossignolREUTERS/Pascal Rossignol
Copyright REUTERS/Pascal Rossignol
By Cristina Abellan Matamoros with AFP, Reuters
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Eurostar enters its second day of severe delays as French customs officers continue their protests for better pay and more resources for Brexit.

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The high-speed railway service Eurostar connecting London to Paris and other majors European cities has suffered major disruptions over the past few days.

Delays were down to work-to-rule industrial action by French customs officers due to show what processes will be like in the event of a no-deal Brexit and pressing for higher pay.

Eurostar trains suffered delays of up to two hours on Thursday in Paris' Gare du Nord because of the strike.

The rail service told the AFP that trains from Paris were running up to "120 minutes late" because "security controls were taking more time".

Customs officers are calling for "better purchasing power, an increase in the number of employees, and more resources to deal with Brexit," said a statement by the customs officers' union UNSA-Douanes.

The strikes started last Monday at the northern ports of Calais and Dunkirk, where long lines of trucks built up as customs workers ran extensive checks.

Travellers headed to ski resorts were also concerned, with flights to the French cities of Chambéry, Grenoble and Lyon affected by the industrial action.

Below are pictures of some of the queues at Gare du Nord on Thursday.

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