Groupe Eurotunnel - the organisation that runs the Channel Tunnel - said the number of freight trains using the route grew by 12 per cent in the first half of 2013 when compared with the corresponding period last year.

The volume of passengers on the high-speed services between England and France also went up by two per cent over the same period.

However, there was a seven per cent decline in the number of HGVs passing through the tunnel - suggesting that fewer logistics companies have been delivering goods to the mainland.

Groupe Eurotunnel released these figures as part of its half-year financial results, which highlighted a ten per cent upturn in revenues year-on-year.

Chairman and chief executive officer at the organisation Jacques Gounon said: "In a hostile environment and following an exceptional year in 2012, the Eurotunnel Group continues to strengthen its market shares across the board."

Last month, the company was criticised by the European Commission for its charging structure.

Vice president of the body Siim Kallas said people are being put off from using the tunnel because it is too expensive - claims that Eurotunnel has since refuted.