The boat made several attempts to dock with the assistance of tugs last night in winds of up to 100 kilometres an hour.

However it was forced to withdraw and has spent the night at anchor just outide the port.

One crew member suffered a broken leg during one of the failed attempts after a line snapped. He's still on the ship, but a spokesperson for Irish Ferries says he is being well catered.

At least two school tours are believed to be among the passengers, though it's not clear whether they are Irish or french.

France has also been hit by some very severe bad weather.

Across the country more than 68,000 homes are without electricity and hundreds of people were trapped in their cars after a winter storm hit with heavy snow.

Last night nearly 500 cars were blocked near Cherbourg where snowdrifts reached almost two feet.