Eurostar is experiencing a decline in business travel on its services from London to Paris and Brussels as companies look to save money due to the current economic downturn.

Revenue from premium passengers fell by a fifth in the year's first quarter, compared to the first three months of 2008.

"There is a limit to what you can do to stimulate demand as business passengers don't travel for fun. Like other businesses, we must reduce our costs to meet the new economic realities," said Richard Brown, chairman of Eurostar.

The decline in business passenger numbers has been offset by an increase in the number of leisure travellers that are using the Eurostar service from St Pancras.