The Eurostar Channel Tunnel train service between the United Kingdom, France and Belgium is operating again after storms stranded thousands of travellers for more than two days.

The company says it will try to get delayed passengers onto trains on Thursday.

It's an exceptional situation due to the storms on Sunday

SNCF spokesman

The service was suspended on Monday after high winds deposited salt spray on power lines and tracks, clogging them up and causing short circuits.

Thousands had to cancel their travel plans and many were left stranded.

The storms sent sea spray crashing ashore

On Wednesday, vehicle services on the Eurotunnel shuttle started running again.

Those initially stranded on Monday night, including families visiting the Disneyland theme park near Paris, were evacuated on Tuesday by ferry or plane, and the rest were advised to cancel or postpone their journeys.

Tens of thousands of French homes were also left without power by the damage caused by salt and sand.

Stranded

The rail service suspension, which began at 1730 GMT on Monday night, left up to 7,000 passengers stranded overnight.

At least six trains were reportedly stuck during their journeys - some for several hours. No passengers were stuck in the tunnel itself, said officials.

We didn't have any information... I slept here, in the cold, without covers

Stranded English passenger

Other services were cancelled before they left.

Some of the stranded passengers were forced to spend Monday night sleeping on trains in Paris, Lille and Calais.

"We didn't have any information. I slept here, in the cold, without covers," said an English pensioner who spent the night in a train at Lille station.

Thousands more travellers had their journeys disrupted as the chaos continued into Tuesday and Wednesday.

Passengers who have to cancel their travel plans will be reimbursed, while anyone who got stranded in mid-journey will get a free ticket for a future journey.