Eurostar refuses to transport 'too fat' Frenchman

The young Frenchman judged too fat to travel on British Airways and the Queen Mary ocean liner was banned from the Eurostar London-Paris rail link on Tuesday afternoon. Kevin Chenais, 23-years-old and weighing 230 kilos, was stuck in a hotel in the British capital as the French consul and the rail company tried to found means of transport appropriate to his size.

Eurostar trains at Waterloo station, London Wikimedia Commons

Chenais and his family were shocked last month when British Airways, which had flown him to the US for medical treatment in May 2012, refused to take him back, citing safety concerns.

They then booked places on the Queen Mary, only to be told that the liner's safety rules meant he could not come aboard.

Virgin Atlantic finally agreed to transport Chenais to London and the family then booked places on the Eurostar to Paris, from where they would return to their home in Ferney-Voltaire on the Franco-Swiss border.

But Eurostar also refused to take him on board, explaining that he could not be evacuated from the train if there was an incident in the Channel tunnel.

Officials concede that there are two places for disabled people and admit that there is no official weight limit but the company is standing by its ruling.

Eurostar has contacted ferry and taxi companies to try and find an alternative, a company spokesperson said.

The French consulate in London was also trying to find a solution to a weighty problem.