Olympic security ban on your bottled water: But you can buy it in the stadium - at inflated prices

By Louise Eccles

PUBLISHED: 01:25, 7 May 2012 | UPDATED: 14:32, 7 May 2012

Spectators will be banned from taking bottles of water into the Olympic Park in case they are used to conceal so-called ‘liquid bombs’.

Airport-style security means all liquids in containers of 100ml or more will be confiscated – leaving visitors to buy drinks at inflated prices once inside.

Picnics and ‘excessive’ amounts of food will also be banned from sports venues, but families will have to pay £40 to buy a basic lunch from the official food stalls.

Banned: Spectators will not be allowed to take water bottles in to Olympic venues because they could conceal 'liquid bombs'

A series of test events took place at the Olympic Park in Stratford last week ahead of the London 2012 Games.

But many visitors were disgruntled to find that bottles of water, alcohol, hampers, picnics and cool boxes were not permitted inside the gates.

Instead, they must pay £1.60 for replacement water, which organisers claim is a ‘reduced rate’.

It could also cost £2.80 for a soft drink, £4.90 for a sandwich and £5.90 for a frankfurter hot dog – meaning a simple lunch could cost £10 each. Sushi will set you back an astonishing £8.50.

Strict rules state people cannot take in ‘liquids, aerosols and gels in quantities greater than 100ml’, but empty water bottles can be taken in and filled up at water coolers.

Most mineral water bought to take away is sold in 500ml bottles, which are automatically banned, as are bottles filled up with water from the tap at home.

The airline liquids ban was introduced in 2006 after police smashed a plot to bring down planes between Britain and America.

The idea had been to smuggle on board explosives hidden within soft drinks, before detonating it once the plane was airborne.

Other Olympic food guidelines are also likely to prove controversial, with organisers threatening to confiscate so-called ‘excessive food’.

A spokesman for Games organisers Locog said taking a sandwich in a backpack, for example, should not be a problem, but that a picnic hamper or cool box was ‘likely to be an issue’.

This, they said, was to prevent longer queues at venues while hampers were searched and because there was limited storage space beneath the seats.

Strict: An aerial view of the Olympic Stadium in east London, where there will be strict rules when the Games start

But critics claimed it was a ploy to encourage people to buy over-priced food.

The rules surrounding the selling of refreshments for the Olympics and Paralympics are far stricter than they are for other sporting events.

At both Lord’s and Wimbledon food is permitted and alcohol is restricted to one bottle of wine or two cans of beer per person.

Last week, as thousands watched the water polo, hockey and university athletics at the Olympic Park, the public was given a first glimpse of the kinds of prices that will be charged during Games time.

Ann Townsend, 41, of South London, said: ‘We bought lunch for three of us, just sandwiches, drinks and a couple of snacks, and it cost almost £25.’ Student Milly Arnold, 18, who was watching the hockey, said: ‘I had my bottle of water taken off me at the gates and had to buy a new one for £1.60 as soon as I got in, which is pretty annoying.’

If ticket holders want to buy food at the Olympic Park they will have to use cash or a Visa card. No other credit cards are allowed.

A spokesman for Locog said: ‘We have gone to considerable lengths to find great tasting, top quality food, setting new benchmark standards for the industry.

‘This includes snacks from £1, sandwiches from under £4 and jacket potatoes from just over £5.’