Paris Eurostar terminal evacuated after passenger found with wartime bombshell

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The Paris terminus of Eurostar was evacuated when a London-bound passenger tried to take a Second World War bombshell through security.

The evacuation of the terminal at Gare du Nord caused widespread disruption, with one train arriving over an hour late in London.

Other UK-bound services were affected, with some delays to returning trains.

A spokesperson for Eurostar told The Independent: “Earlier this morning at approximately 8.20am (French time) in Paris Gare du Nord, a passenger tried to check in with an old war relic.

“As the passenger tried to check-in with the war relic, the station was evacuated, and Eurostar check-in was suspended for approximately half an hour.

“This meant three services from Paris to London are delayed between 20 and 70 minutes. We apologise for the inconvenience caused to these passengers.

“The customers are entitled to the usual compensation, as their train was delayed by more than 60 minutes.”

Travellers using the Channel Tunnel rail service are obliged to go through a security check before boarding the express train. Eurostar explicitly bans “military shells including war souvenirs and relics”.

The train operator spokesperson said: ”In addition to the information on our website, there are lots of signs at check-in and members of staff at the terminal in Paris warning passengers about items that are prohibited to carry on board Eurostar.”

Similar incidents took place at Paris Gare du Nord in May 2015 and October 2016.