A record number of pets travelled back from their holidays into Kent using Eurotunnel, the cross-Channel operator has reported.

And it has prompted Eurotunnel chiefs to call for a swift agreement in Brexit negotiations to ensure the easy flow of animals continues once we break away from the European Union.

Staff at the terminal in Cheriton welcomed back 2,143 pets on January 4 and 2,166 the following day - beating the previous record, set last year, by almost 8%.

Eurotunnel says the figures underlines the popularity of its pet travel scheme.

Jacques Gounon, chairman and CEO of Eurotunnel's parent company Getlink, said: “I hope that European Union negotiators will ensure that they quickly conclude an agreement with the United Kingdom during the Brexit transition period, so that pet travel controls remain as efficient and protective as they are today.”

More than two million pets have used the service since 2001.

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