Eurostar trains between London and Paris have been brought to a halt after the discovery of an unexploded bomb dating back to the Second World War near the tracks.France’s national train operator SNCF said in a statement that services would be stopped at the Gare du Nord until mid-morning at the request of police.

Eurostar will resume services to and from Paris on Saturday after a World War II-era bomb found under tracks outside the French capital halted traffic at Gare du Nord station.

Speaking to the BBC before the French transport minister confirmed the WW2 bomb had been defused, Lejeune says they thought it was the "better option" to cancel all 32 services between London and Paris today because it would give passengers "clarity" amid the "uncertainty".