Friday 22 February 2019 9:17 am | Updated: Monday 03 June 2019 12:26 am

Government report warns of Eurostar chaos in no-deal Brexit scenario

Eurostar train services could face heavy disruption in the event of a no-deal Brexit, with a government report indicating that queues could reach up to 15,000 passengers each day.

A report by the Department for Transport said in the worst case scenario the daily queue could stretch for almost a mile from St Pancras station to Warren Street underground station, according to the Financial Times.

The 11-page document has reportedly been shared with Eurostar and Network Rail as the UK prepares to leave the EU next month.

Eurostar has told the government that if the UK crashes out of the EU without a deal on 29 March the company could only survive for six to 12 weeks, a source told the Financial Times

Currently queues reach around 200 passengers on an average day as French police impose minimal checks on passengers at St Pancras.

However, if security checks are increased to 21 seconds per person the average daily queue could reach 2,000 people, and if checks were 75 seconds per person the queue could be 15,000 people long.

A DfT spokesperson told the Financial Times: "The government continues to work towards a [Brexit] deal and we are confident that we will have agreements in place to ensure cross-channel rail services continue after Brexit.

"We are working closely with industry to develop sensible contingency plans which ensure that the Eurostar and domestic rail services continue running."