HAULIERS today spoke of their concern for the future, after international freight through the Eurotunnel was stopped in a bid to prevent illegal immigrants storming trains.

Blackburn-based Gilbraith TranStore, which relies on rail transport for 50 per cent of its supplies, said it had worryingly low levels of stock to meet client orders.

The rail freight terminal on Great Bolton Street, Blackburn, faces a 'rail jam of the worst kind.'

And the company has warned of worrying road gridlock if promised orders to hundreds of their clients, constituting 50,000 tonnes of rail cargo each year, have to be met by road.

Steve Gibson, North West regional manager for Gilbraith, said: "The stock will get through, but companies are already having to switch to plan B, which is road and sea. It is such a shame when we were just getting there with rail. This is a huge spanner in the works."

And the company faces an 'operational nightmare' in terms of unloading 15 road vehicles instead of one train, as European companies use road transport to meet demands of increasingly nervous customers.

Mr Gibson said: "The service will not be as efficient and will take longer, not to mention the increased cost for companies sending out stock from abroad to the UK.

"European businesses are loading road trailers and sending them to Calais and Dunkirk. It's a ludicrous economic hell and completely against any government initiative to go green. Our motorways are gridlocked anyway and the situation is set to get a lot worse."

French train operators SNCF were forced to suspend rail freight traffic as the problem with asylum seekers attempting to storm trains heading for the UK reached crisis point.

A second covered train freight terminal in the North West, Bowker WH Ltd, Holme Road, Bamber Bridge, is beginning to feel the effects.

Director Neil Bowker said: "The crisis in the industry is widely reported, but we are escaping at the moment. Many companies have already had to concentrate their energies on road and sea."

Another haulier, Kenyon Road Haulage, of Thornley Avenue, Blackburn which deals with all types of cargo from the UK to Germany and Italy, fear the situation could worsen.

Transport manager Mel Dibb, said: "It is normally a lot quicker to use rail, but now it's slow. The system is being over loaded and is set to get a lot worse."

The train company used by both Gilbraith Transtore and Kenyon Road Haulage -- English Scottish and Welsh Railways (EWS) -- has lost £500,000 a week since trouble began last November. Director of planning Graham Smith, said: "International freight is in crisis."

A spokesman for the Department for Transport, Local Government and the Regions said: "We and the French authorities take this issue very seriously and the French government will be sending police reinforcements to the area.

"Government is very much aware of the serious effect on UK business caused by the disruption to freight services through the tunnel.

"For that reason, we will continue monitoring the situation and take further concerted action as necessary until overall policing and security are adequate."