by Katie Lamborn

Eurostar bosses have come under attack from their own staff, who who want answers to questions raised by the the snow disruption in December.

Eurostar suffered a rash of bad publicity after four trains broke down in the Channel Tunnel after running through heavy snow and freezing conditions in France. Many were trapped for hours and it took days before the firm's services got back to normal.

Members of rail union RMT who work for Eurostar have sent a letter to the company outlining their concerns, following the trouble between December 18 and 22.

• They want to know why it tookeight hours to get one of the stranded trains out.
• Why, once trains were outside the tunnel, it tookfour hours for any contingency plans to kick in.
• Why it was decided to keep trains overnight in the Calais area rather than sending them back to Lille, Paris or Brussels.

RMT General Secretary Bob Crow said:"We are calling for an emergency meeting between the company and RMT representatives to examine these critical issues."

Eurostar said:"Safety is of paramount importance for both staff and passengers and it would not operate unless it has complete confidence that safety is being observed across its entire business."

The international rail operator said many of those questions will be answered in their Independent Review, to be released next week.