Eurostar will not stop in Kent for another two to three years, it has been revealed.

The county will remain disconnected from the continent after the rail company added another several years onto the timeline for its return.

Until 2020, trains had been regularly stopping at Ebbsfleet and Ashford International Station on their way to France and other European destinations, providing residents with easy access to the continent.

However, all services were suspended during the coronavirus pandemic, with the company announcing last year that it would not resume services until 2023 at the earliest.

The decision in September 2021 was described as "bad news" for the county, but hope was still building towards a review "towards the end" of this year.

However, a spokeswoman for the firm said the wait could go on until as late as 2025, stating that the pandemic and Brexit were among the reasons behind the decision.

"We can confirm that Eurostar services will not stop at Ebbsfleet or Ashford International stations in 2023, and that we cannot make any commitment for another two to three years," she said.

"We understand this will be disappointing for the local communities"

"Our recovery is progressing well, but we have considerable financial commitments following the pandemic which we will continue to face for a number of years.

"Our border environment has also toughened post Brexit, and further complexity is expected with the launch of the EU’s Entry Exit System.

"Whilst we continue to operate in an uncertain and fragile environment, we must focus on our most profitable inter-capital routes to enable us to meet our financial commitments, stabilise our operation and our customer experience, before considering any further developments.

"We understand that this will be disappointing for the local communities, and we will continue to work closely and openly with the local councils on the future of the stations."

The lack of international service has left Ashford's station almost completely empty for two years and counting.

Reporter Rhys Griffiths described the terminal building at the station as "as if we are still in the darkest depths of lockdown."

"The cavernous space is almost deserted, its counters shuttered and signs hastily put up in early weeks of the pandemic still advise would-be passengers that the international station is 'temporarily closed'," he added.

Ashford Borough Council Leader Gerry Clarkson said the council would call for the government to intervene in the decision.

“We understand Eurostar’s commercial position, which has been based on the significant reduction in demand for international travel over the past few years and the prospect of additional border control checks/demands," he added.

"However, the services at Ashford International Station are not only important for existing businesses and travellers, they are also important for our future commercial investments. The prospect that Eurostar are not even going to make a decision on their return until 2024 represents a real challenge for those residents and businesses that rely on the service, and those that work locally.

“Ashford is an important economic driver for not only Kent and the East Kent region, but also an important international access point to Europe. Significant investment has been made over the last 25 years in infrastructure at Ashford International Station to ensure international services are able to operate to support business and leisure travel to Europe, so it is imperative that the benefits of this investment are realised through services being returned to support the economy of Kent and the UK.

“We are in regular dialogue with Eurostar and we will continue to work with partners, including Kent County Council, our MP Damian Green, Government and High Speed One, to ensure services at Ashford International Station return. We will not give up on this and will continue to make the case for their return, as soon as its commercially viable.

“International rail services provide an alternative to travelling by road or air. Not only is it a much more sustainable mode of transport, it also makes sense from an economical point of view too. We will continue our fight and call on the Government to intervene in order to maintain the prosperity of the borough and indeed the wider East Kent region.”

Mr Green said: "This is very disappointing. I am working with Kent County Council and Ashford Borough Council to make sure we get our international services back.

"When we have a new Prime Minister I will be pressing the new Transport Ministers to make sure the UK Government is behind this effort. Taxpayers have spent billions on high speed rail and part of what we bought with this were the services from Ashford. We need a commitment that they will return."

Jo James, of the Kent Invicta Chamber of Commerce, said: “It is extremely disappointing that a decision on whether services will be restored won't be made until 2024, much later than was originally said.

"This is a real blow to businesses and the Kent economy.

"We are very much an international county, particularly around Ashford where in recent years, a lot has been built around the town’s international connectivity.

"A lot of investment has gone into Ashford station to secure the international services by Eurostar and it is just unthinkable that this investment is in vain. It is just unthinkable that we won’t have services running from Kent."