Rail services have been thrown into chaos after a flooded tunnel led to the cancellation of all high-speed and Eurostar trains in Kent for the rest of the day.

No high-speed services are running across the county while teams work to fix the issue in the tunnel under the River Thames.

All trains between Ashford and St Pancras, and Gravesend and St Pancras, have been cancelled “for the entirety of today”.

Southeastern tweeted: “We will be running NO highspeed services for the entirety of today, Saturday 30th December, due to flooding in the tunnels at Ebbsfleet.

“No trains will run between Ashford and St Pancras, or between Gravesend and St Pancras. Please use alternative routes.”

Meanwhile, Eurostar trains from St Pancras International, which pass throught Ebbsfleet International and Ashford International, have also been suspended.

A total of 29 Eurostar trains to and from London have so far been cancelled, with the operator saying the flooding in a tunnel under the river Thames is “not improving”.

No services are expected to run for the rest of the day, throwing people’s travel plans into turmoil.

Large crowds have been seen at St Pancras, with anxious travellers left in the lurch ahead of the new year festivities.

One disgruntled traveller said she had seen “lots of people crying” at the station as cancellations were revealed.

The flooding is thought to have been caused by a fire control system.

A statement issued by Southern Water said: “We have a technician on the way to offer support to control the flow of water.

“We will continue to monitor the situation and offer support where needed.”

Among those facing travel disruption are a newlywed couple, who told of their “ruined” plans to go to Disneyland in Paris.

A spokesperson said: “Eurostar has unfortunately had to cancel a further 15 trains to and from London due to the situation not improving with flooding in the tunnels between St Pancras international and Ebbsfleet.

“Network Rail is continuing to do all they can and will update Eurostar if any services can continue later in the day.

“Eurostar is extremely sorry for the unforeseen issues affecting our customers and services.

“We understand this is a vital time to get home at the end of the festive season and ahead of New Year.

“We are doing all we can to rectify the situation.

“Customers are encouraged to visit the Eurostar website for more information on their journey and compensation entitlement.”

It comes after Southeastern announced yesterday its high-speed services had been “severely disrupted” due to the route being impassable near Ebbsfleet owing to rising water.

This morning, the train company confirmed the situation had worsened overnight, leading to the cancellation of all high-speed services.

The rail company tweeted: “We are working to fix the flooding in the tunnels, so please check our website for updates on the Highspeed line closure.”

Shuttle trains are running between Ramsgate and Ashford via Dover, Ramsgate and Ashford via Canterbury West and Ramsgate and Faversham.

Passengers are being urged to use alternative services from Charing Cross, Cannon Street and London Bridge.

Southeastern advises using Charing Cross or London Bridge for trains between London and Gravesend, Ashford, Folkestone, Dover, Ramsgate and Canterbury West.

Anyone travelling between London and Gravesend, Rochester, Chatham, Gillingham, Faversham, Margate and Ramsgate is urged to use CannonStreet or London Bridge services.

The travel chaos comes as a yellow weather warning comes into force in Kent, with 75mph winds expected to hit the coast today.

The Met Office alert stretches across the south of England and is in place from 11am today (December 30) to 3am tomorrow (December 31).

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