Best summer yet for Channel tunnel as Brits opt for France

THE Channel tunnel had its best summer ever as British holiday makers opted for self-drive holidays to the continent in record numbers, it was announced yesterday.

Eurotunnel, the company which manages the concession for the Channel Tunnel until 2086, saw a sharp rise in the number of cars, caravans and motorcycles using the passenger shuttle service, which links Folkestone and Coquelles in the Pas-de-Calais.

A total of 533,238 cars travelled on Eurotunnel shuttles between the two locations in July and August this year - 17 per cent more than in the same two months last year.

The busiest day in the Channel tunnel's history was 14 August, when 14,825 cars and 150 coaches were transported through the tunnel.

A number of one-way records were also broken this summer, with 9,382 vehicles travelling from Folkestone on 23 July at the start of British school summer holidays. The France to England all-time high was surpassed on 29 August, with 8,869 vehicles coming back to the UK.

On 21 July, Eurotunnel celebrated the crossing of the 250 millionth passenger transported through the tunnel since services started in 1994.

Jo Willacy, Eurotunnel's commercial director said: "The intense activity through the summer shows that Le Shuttle is the perfect answer to our customers expectations: it is value for money and respectful of the environment.

"Our whole commercial strategy is aimed at increasing our traffic and our performance this summer is an incentive to continue in the same vein."

The Channel tunnel is used mainly by Brits travelling abroad - 85 per cent of traffic comes from the UK side, while only 5 per cent is traffic from France.

Eurotunnel is part of Groupe Eurotunnel SA, which said in July that half-year revenues from shuttle services had increased by 17 per cent while revenues from Eurostar increased by 5 per cent.