Eurostar services were plunged into further chaos today when three highspeed trains were halted inside the Channel Tunnel.

More than 1,400 rail passengers were stuck for an hour after one of the trains broke down. It came less than two weeks after a blaze caused £500 million of damage.

In the latest setback, the 5.55am train travelling from London to Paris stopped abruptly at 8.15. Drivers had to clamber onto the track to investigate. They blamed the train's pantograph, which connects to the electricity supply.

Passengers were forced to wait for more than an hour before the train moved off again. It was examined by engineers at Calais and eventually allowed to travel on to Paris.

Meanwhile, two other Eurostar trains remained at a standstill in the 31-mile tunnel for up to an hour.

A Eurotunnel spokeswoman confirmed that, in total, the journeys of 1,418 passengers were disrupted.

"Given recent circumstances we are taking extra precautions and we have extra technicians on standby 24 hours a day in the tunnel so they can deal with problems very quickly," she said.

"We are on heightened awareness as it could have more impact than usual."

As a result of today's problem, trains from Brussels and Paris to London were delayed by an hour and a quarter, while trains from London were up to two hours late.

The Channel Tunnel is running at 50 per cent capacity following the fire on a truck being carried by a train on 11 September. The cause is being investigated.

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