Channel Tunnel rail delays due to heat, Eurotunnel says
Image copyright @Hampton"Unprecedented" high temperatures have delayed cross-Channel rail services with delays of three hours, Eurotunnel has said.
Air conditioning problems meant some carriages could not be used, which led to the delays, the firm added.
Eurotunnel said it was dealing not just with heat but also the level of traffic booked on crossings because of the start of the school holidays.
Customers have taken to Twitter to voice their frustration.
'Pets welcome'
Just before 10:00 BST, Eurotunnel tweeted: "Due to the unprecedented temperatures and level of traffic booked today, customers arriving early [more than 2 hours before booked travel time] will not be able to check-in."
However, later the rail operator posted the pre-check-in wait at Folkestone was an hour and a half, followed by a further three-hour wait after that.
People waiting in the Folkestone boarding lanes have been told to collect bottles of water from a refrigerated van.
Others still waiting to check-in have been urged to carry plenty of drinking water and take a comfort break beforehand.
Eurotunnel has tweeted those travelling with pets are welcome to take them into the passenger terminal lounge and also into the toilet area.
A spokesman for the rail operator told the BBC: "We are experiencing problems due to the heat, which means some carriages are unavailable."
He added: "If we think that the air conditioning is not sufficient for a good client experience then we propose not using these carriages.
"This means we are running shuttles with reduced capacity which is why there's some delays."
On Twitter, Ian W posted: "Left home at 7am to get the Eurotunnel. Still not in it and not likely to for another couple of hours. Top tip: get the ferry."
Dickie Whitaker tweeted: "Delays on @LeShuttle not great in this heat but some managers came out to help and were cheerful which is appreciated".
