Don’t bring bombs (real or fake) back from the battlefields, Eurostar warns passengers

EUROSTAR has warned passengers not to bring “bombs, shells or weapons” back from French battlefields after seeing a rise in First World War tourists.

The cross-channel rail company has witnessed an increase in the number of travellers making trips to France to remember those who lost their lives since the centenary commemorations began in 2014. But the historical interest has also seen people trying to bring memorabilia home with them, leading to warnings that even items bought in gift shops can lead to delays. In messages to passengers travelling this weekend Eurostar said: “Please remember that you can’t bring any real or replica bombs, shells (complete or partial) or weapons on board, even if you bought them from a gift shop. If you bring them with you, they’ll be confiscated at security and may result in the need to evacuate the station.” It comes after passengers were evacuated from the Gare du Nord in August as a Eurostar passenger had a “military relic” in their luggage which had to be disposed of with a controlled explosion. This followed a 2016 incident in Paris, when a replica bomb was found and incidents in the French capital and Lille in 2015 when shells were discovered.

A spokesman for the rail company said that it was “prime time” for people to be travelling to the battlefields in France and as well as the messages they had a list of prohibited items on their website, signs at stations and staff on artillery hand to advise people on what they could carry. They said: “Eurostar takes the safety and security of its passengers very seriously and operates with the strictest security regime of any train operator. We would therefore suggest that all our customers read through our conditions of carriage prior to travel.”