The impact of the lockdown and restrictions on travel has seen passenger traffic on Eurotunnel drop by almost half in the first five months of the year.

The cross-Channel operator saw figures for January to June reduce by 48% compared to the same time last year - with 481,498 passenger vehicles using the service compared to 930,270.

For May, passenger traffic vehicles were down 81% on last year, according to the latest figures released by parent company Getlink.

However, the route has remained an essential route for the supply of critical goods between France and England.

The result saw freight traffic fall by just 29% in May - with the first five months of this year down 19% on the same period in 2019.

A spokesman said: "Since mid-March, Eurotunnel has taken protective hygiene measures and social distancing continues to be strictly applied for both staff and customers, in addition to a voluntary reduction in the number of trucks carried on each crossing. This restriction does not apply to cars and vans travelling in the passenger shuttles, as drivers and passengers remain in their vehicles during the crossing, without having direct physical contact with staff or other passengers.

"Le Shuttle Freight carried more than 90,000 trucks in May 2020, mainly due to the resilience of demand for food, pharmaceuticals and e-commerce goods."

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