The Channel rail operator said its passenger services had performed "remarkably", with Friday 14 August among its busiest days of the year.

Transport secretary Grant Shapps confirmed late on Thursday 13 August France’s quarantine-free travel corridor would be revoked from 4am on Saturday 15 August, sparking a race among Britons in France to get home to beat the quarantine deadline.

In total, Le Shuttle carried 267,942 passenger vehicles in August, down from 373,084 (28%) in August 2019.

"In a summer marked by the double impact of the lifting of quarantine measures on 7 July and then the re-imposition of quarantine on 15 August, Le Shuttle also performed remarkably," said Shuttle operator Getlink.

"Friday 14 August was one of the busiest days of the year, with 11,600 vehicles and 30,000 passengers transported on Le Shuttle services."

The result means that despite the effect of quarantine, rolling passenger shuttle traffic for the year to date (January to August) came in down 42%, an improvement of 4% on the figures for January to July.