TICKETS for the first Eurostar trip from Ebbsfleet International went on sale this week.

One Bluewater customer got her hands on the first pair of tickets for the European service which is due to begin on Monday, November 19.

Rosemary Breton, 51, from Erith, queued at the Eurostar shop in Bluewater for 20 minutes before the store opened on Tuesday.

The station, situated between Gravesend and Dartford, will offer seven daily services to Paris and five to Brussels.

Mrs Breton, who has never travelled on Eurostar before, said: "Now that Ebbsfleet is so close we can just park up, go to Paris and return within the day. It's so convenient."

As well as the new station at Ebbsfleet, the station at Ashford International will continue to have services to Paris, Lille, Disneyland Resort Paris and the seasonal services to Avignon and the French Alps.

For being one of the first holders of a ticket Mrs Breton and her husband Gary will receive a complimentary upgrade and three-course meal on board the high-speed train.

Travel Consultant at the Eurostar shop Theo Vanderbijl said: "Already it has been busy. We are expecting it to be consistent like this for the next month or so."