Eurotunnel has accused Eurostar of ignoring safety rules when evacuating passengers from trains last weekend.

The Channel Tunnel operator said evacuations were prolonged because people took bags with them "in complete violation" of safety procedures.

It also rejected claims it contributed to the chaos when 2,000 people were trapped in five broken down trains.

Eurostar said an independent review currently being carried out would "establish the truth once and for all".

In a statement, the company said passengers' safety "was not compromised at any time", but voiced concern that officials at Eurotunnel had "misunderstood" the nature of the review.