Speaking to the BBC before the French transport minister confirmed the WW2 bomb had been defused, Lejeune says they thought it was the "better option" to cancel all 32 services between London and Paris today because it would give passengers "clarity" amid the "uncertainty".

The discovery of a Second World War bomb in France has completely halted train traffic to and from the Gare du Nord station in Paris. That also affects the Eurostar trains between Amsterdam and the French capital.

The police successfully defused the explosive device, which weighs more than 1,000 pounds and was found near tracks north of the French capital during landscaping work.