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A 36-stone Frenchman who was marooned in London after Eurostar staff refused to let him board the train because of his weight is being taken across the channel by a ferry company.

Kevin Chenais had spent two weeks trying to return home to France with his family after being told he represented a safety threat to other passengers.

The saga began when he was first stranded in New York after British Airways refused to carry him on his return ticket and his request to sail on the Queen Mary 2 was also turned down.

Mr Chenais, 22, made it to the UK after being a free trip with Virgin Atlantic, and touched down at Heathrow at 9am yesterday.

When he tried to board the Eurostar from St Pancras International, staff told him he was safety risk as he would be unable to exit in an emergency.

But ferry company P&O stepped in to help, offering Mr Chenais a lift across the English Channel on its Spirit of Britain vessel.

A P&O spokesman said: "We're delighted to help. It's not difficult for us. We are used to carrying ambulances across the Channel, so we are set up for this type of thing.

"It's difficult to imagine the frustration that this gentleman has gone through. But for us, it's very straight-forward as we are set up to carry people who have medical needs."

A Eurostar spokesman had said that Mr Chenais, who rides an electric mobility scooter due to his weight, could compromise the safety of other passengers.

He said: “Our heart goes out to the family and they are obviously desperate to come back home.

“We simply cannot ignore the safety regulations that are imposed on us, and nor would we want to.”

Mr Chenais, from Ferney-Voltaire near the Swiss border, requires frequent doses of bottled oxygen.

He had been in Minnesota for 18 months receiving treatment for a hormone disorder.

Mr Chenais and his family, including his mother, stayed last night at a hotel near St Pancras while weighing up their options for returning home.