The police successfully defused the explosive device, which weighs more than 1,000 pounds and was found near tracks north of the French capital during landscaping work.

Eurostar has cancelled all trains between London and Paris throughout Friday, after the discovery of an unexploded Second World War bomb disrupted traffic at Paris ’s busy Gare du Nord station. “An unexploded bomb from the Second World War was discovered near the tracks,” French national railway company TER said.

Eurostar, operator of the sleek speedy trains that usually make rail travel between the UK and the continent a breeze, announced the cancellation of all its services to and from its hub in the French capital.