Locog assures fans over food queues (From Gazette Series)

Locog assures fans over food queues

3:51pm Monday 30th July 2012 in National News © Press Association 2013

Olympics organisers are taking steps to make sure people are not stuck in long queues for food and drink, they say.

Locog had come under fire after difficulties at food stalls in certain sites, prompting long queues.

Some fans claimed they ended up missing parts of the equestrian event when stalls ran out of food at the site in Greenwich, south-east London, while others suffered huge queues caused by Visa problems at Wembley.

Locog director of sport Debbie Jevans said the teething troubles had not ruined anyone's Olympic experience and organisers are taking steps to alleviate any issues.

"The feedback that we have had is that the experience has been great, the sport has been great," she told a briefing at the Olympic Park.

"Where we've had queues that were longer than anticipated we've reacted to that overnight and there will be mobile units moving around selling things like water. So we are aware of it and have reacted to it."

Fans hoping to buy snacks as they watched Great Britain's men take on the United Arab Emirates were told they could not pay by Visa, the only credit or debit card accepted at London 2012 venues, and must use cash.

Disgruntled ticket-holders described the queues that subsequently built up as "ridiculous" and said a lack of cash machines at the west London ground added to the problem.

Speaking at the game last night, Max Gore, 27, from Shepherd's Bush, west London, said: "The queues were ridiculous. I didn't have any cash and I couldn't pay on card. I asked the person behind the bar if there were any cash machines and they said some had been taken out for the Olympics. I had to trek around the stadium to find one. The problem went on for the whole evening. There were two games and they couldn't get it fixed."

Others vented their anger on Twitter, with Sue Atkins describing the payment problems as a "fiasco". Carl McQueen wrote: "80,000 people in Wembley Stadium, and the Visa card payment system has broken down - lot of people without cash going hungry & thirsty!" And Nick Bacon tweeted: "Was very unimpressed by Wembley Stadium. Ran out of food, couldn't use cards at the tills and lack of information given to punters."