The European Commission believes the charges issued to passengers and freight transporters using the Channel Tunnel are "excessive".

Vice president of the organisation Siim Kallas said the access route between England and France is not being used to its full capacity because people are put off by the price. This, he suggested, is stifling growth. 

"As a result, more freight is being carried on lorries instead of by rail, freight operators and their customers are being over-charged and passenger are paying over the odds for their tickets," he remarked.

Groupe Eurotunnel - the company that runs the tunnel - said access charges are calculated under the terms of the Railway Usage Contract, which was signed in 1987.

The fact that many logistics firms are shunning rail freight when transporting goods to mainland Europe will concern the UK government, which is keen to take as many HGVs off the road as possible, as it strives to slash the nation's carbon emissions.