by Ruth Banks

Eurostar has been accused of failures in basic emergency planning after several trains broke down in the Channel Tunnel before Christmas.

South East MEP Catherine Bearder has criticised Eurostar’s emergency communication procedures.

"The train driver could not talk to the staff further down the train and they were relying on one train manager to walk the 18 carriages," said Mrs Burnett. "You can’t do that when you’ve got a lot of upset people on a train. Those are the sorts of basic things that other services have learned."

Eurostar has ordered an independent review into the incident, which left thousands of passengers trapped on trains overnight when cold weather in France interfered with their electronics.

A spokesman for Eurostar said: "The pre-Christmas incidents were unacceptable for our travellers and we of course understand Mrs Catherine Bearder’s concerns. The independent review will be looking at every aspect of the incidents and has said it will report back by the end of January 2010."