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Boss of Anglo-French Channel tunnel operator Eurotunnel dismissed talk of a possible takeover of the newly restructured company and said he had asked regulators to investigate moves in its share price.

Eurotunnel Chairman and Chief Executive Jacques Gounon spoke in a LCI television interview on Tuesday about the share price rise: "There has been an abnormal movement, the company has just asked for an inquiry.

"The rise was spectacular on the basis of completely false rumours of a possible takeover bid. It has all the ingredients of something that did not represent the company and was not representative of a normal share price," Gounon said.

Those Eurotunnel shares still trading following a financial restructuring, which saw 87 percent of shares swapped for those of a new company, closed on Tuesday in Paris at 1.16 euros.

That was down from a high of 1.95 euros hit last week but still three times more than the level before Eurotunnel declared the share swap to have been a success.

Eurotunnel has re-opened the swap to investors who did not immediately tender their shares.

The share swap re-offer which closes next week (14 June ) was the last phase of a plan to restructure Eurotunnel's debts, which once completed will see much of the company owned by investment banks.