With Eurotunnel shuttles going faster from today, the operator has raced to a record for the number of cars and other tourist vehicles carried from Kent to France in a single day.

The Diamond Jubilee getaway saw more than 10,000 cars, motorcycles, caravans, motorhomes and coaches leaving the Cheriton terminal on Eurotunnel Le Shuttle, the highest number in the Chunnel's history.

Some 10,380 cars and 128 coaches were transported under the Channel on June 1, smashing the previous record of 9,382 in July 2010.

Over the three-day period between Friday and Sunday, Eurotunnel carried more than 26,000 tourist vehicles, passing the previous record for the equivalent UK peak holiday departure period at the end of July last year.

Five shuttles an hour in each direction ran at near-100% capacity.
Jo Willacy, Eurotunnel commercial director, said she was delighted with the record-breaking weekend.

"This weekend, we transported more than 700 vehicles an hour, with a departure every 15 minutes whilst at the same time maintaining punctuality."

Meanwhile, from 8am today, the maximum shuttle speed rises from
140 km/h to 160 km/h. cutting the journey time from 35 to 30 minutes.