A man has been caught running through the entire length of the Channel Tunnel to France.
The 31-year-old, who has not been named, was seen disappearing into the mouth of the 31-mile tunnel at Folkestone in Kent a week ago.
It is only the second known incident of its kind, and happened despite massive security measures inside the undersea facility.
Police teams were alerted on both sides of the Tunnel, and it was French officials who eventually found the man.
‘They arrested him and took him out of the Tunnel at Coquelles,’ a French police source said.
‘He was heading to France from England, and presenting a clear danger to all Tunnel users, including himself. He was running, so as to get to France as soon as possible.’
Following the arrest on December 21, the man was fast-tracked through the court system in France, and appeared in court at Boulogne-sur-Mer last Wednesday.
The source claimed the man had been identified as an ‘escaped prisoner’ but the Ministry of Justice has denied this claim.
The man was remanded in custody in France, prior to another hearing on February 1 next year, the source added.
It is estimated the disruption to traffic caused by the incident cost Eurotunnel – the Channel Tunnel operator – some £45,000 in lost revenue.
A spokesman for Eurotunnel said: ‘A person was detected inside the Channel Tunnel and taken into custody by the French Authorities.’
A Sudanese migrant who walked the length of the Channel Tunnel from France in 2015 was eventually granted asylum in the UK a year later.
Abdul Haroun was initially charged with obstructing a railway under 19th-century legislation before also being held in custody.
But the 40-year-old was instead granted asylum, leading to Eurotunnel saying in a statement: ‘He not only caused significant disruption to Eurotunnel and to the many freight and passenger customers travelling at the time, he also put his own life and that of others at risk.’
Trains travel at up to 99 mph (160km/h) along the Channel Tunnel line and pose an immense danger to anyone walking in the Tunnel.
Additional reporting by Peter Allen
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