Eurotunnel - 22 years of history

Paris, France. 29 July 1987: Jacques Chirac waving to Margaret Thatcher after signing the Channel tunnel treaty. The agreement led to the start of work by both countries Photograph: Jacques Langevin/Corbis

Sangatte, France. 27 July 1987: At the bottom of a 55m diameter and 60m deep vertical well, 450 workmen took turns night and day. Eleven specially built tunnel borers (six British and five French) made it possible to advance up to 500m a month Photograph: Jacques Langevin/Corbis

Nord-Pas de Calais, France. 28 January 1988: The French president, Francois Mitterrand, visiting the construction site of the tunnel under the Channel Photograph: Jacques Langevin/Corbis

Sangatte, France. 30 January 1988: The first of five tunnelling machines which were used to dig the Channel tunnel linking England to the European mainland. Each machine weighed 450 tonnes Photograph: Jacques Langevin/Corbis

Channel tunnel. 1 December 1990: English engineer Graham Fagg and Frenchman Phillippe Cozette as the two sides of the Channel tunnel met Photograph: QA Photos/PA

Coquelles, France. 6 May 1994: President Francois Mitterrand and Queen Elizabeth officially open the tunnel Photograph: Corbis

Dover, UK. 22 December 1994: A Citroen 2CV leaving Le Shuttle on the first operational day Photograph: Alain Nogues/Corbis

Cheriton, UK. 19 May 1994: British truck driver Roy Clementson (right), the first heavy goods vehicle driver to make the undersea channel crossing with the Eurotunnel freight service, about to enjoy some champagne Photograph: Thomas Coex/AFP/Getty Images

Channel tunnel. 26 November 1996: A worker making his way through cables where a fire broke out in a truck on a Shuttle freight train, injuring eight people and forcing the tunnel to close Photograph: Olivier Morin/AP

Folkstone, UK. 1 December 2000: Philippe Cozette and Graham Fagg re-enacted their meeting in the tunnel to celebrate the 10th anniversary of the breakthrough between the two countries Photograph: Hugo Philpott/AFP/Getty Images

Calais, France. 28 February 2000: The first time pets were allowed to be brought back into Britain by their owners. Daisy (a Jack Russell) being scanned. Photograph: Sean Smith

Coquelles, France. 20 February 2001: The grave of an asylum seeker near the entrance of the Channel tunnel. A would-be asylum seeker was crushed to death as he and four others tried to sneak into Britain from France on a Channel tunnel freight train Photograph: ascal/Reuters

Frethun, France. 13 March 2002: Would-be immigrants attempting to find a way into the UK by stowing away on Eurotunnel freight trains. Security breaches at the rail freight yard forced the suspension of practically all freight services to Britain through the Channel tunnel Photograph: Graham Turner

Calais, France. 1 Sep 2002: Illegal immigrants coming off a truck after being caught Photograph: George Steinmetz/Corbis

Frethun, France. 21 March 2005: Protesting Seafrance sailors face policemen at the Calais-Frethun station while blocking the rail traffic through the tunnel Photograph: Francois Lo Presti/AFP/Getty Images

Villepinte, Paris. 7 April 2004: Nicolas Miguet, a French investment adviser who led a shareholder rebellion, flashing the victory sign at a Eurotunnel general meeting Photograph: Daniel Janin/AFP/Getty Images

Coquelles, France. 1 October 2008: A Eurotunnel freight shuttle train transporting the burnt remains of a lorry. A blaze in the tunnel on 12 September halted traffic and caused chaos for travellers and freight Photograph: Pascal Rossignol/Reuters

Coquelles, France. 10 December 2008: A Eurotunnel train speeding into the entrance on its way to the UK Photograph: Philippe Huguen/AFP/Getty Images

Folkestone, Kent. 9 February 2009: The Eurotunnel control room after the tunnel re-opened. It was closed for five months after the fire Photograph: Shaun Curry/AFP/Getty Images

Paris, France. 3 March 2009: Eurotunnel CEO Jacques Gounon posing before presenting the group's 2008 full-year results. Eurotunnel said it would pay long-suffering shareholders their first dividend as it reported a 2008 net profit of £35m Photograph: Jacques Brinon/AP