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 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.

Eurostar trains between London and Paris have been cancelled after the discovery of an unexploded bomb dating back to the Second World War near the tracks.The unexploded bomb was reportedly found by workmen overnight in the Paris neighbourhood of Saint Denis.