I've been at several venues over the last few days at at each place the security has been tight but was always very friendly, efficient and professional. The army are doing a fantastic job processing the queues very quickly. They really should take over the job of doing security at Heathrow!

Do they sell beer bottles at the Olympic Stadium? On TV I just saw someone in the stands sipping on a glass bottle of what looked like Heineken. Did they smuggle it past security or do they sell these at kiosks?

Heineken is the official beer, so it's sold from outlets and from people wandering around with backpacks as they do at concert venues. The bottles are plastic. You can buy plastic 70cl bottles of (very average) wine too. The Park is not an alcohol-free zone.

OK, it looked like a glass bottle on TV.

Also, has anyone been to Earls Court for the Volleyball? Can you buy beer there too and bring it to the seats?

Yes and yes.

They also sell bottles of Foster's and Bulmers cider. I believe the bar in the media centre also sells pints of John Smith's, though I'm not sure whether it's available in the public areas. (Nor why you'd bother, because it's that 'extra smooth' stuff, and therefore pretty vile.)

These are, incidentally, all Heineken brands.

What I found odd (as a volunteer with accreditation) is that walking through security, bag got scanned and liquids checked. But driving into the VSA's*, cars are searched and swabbed, but no-one paid the slightest attention to my bag.

*Vehicle Screening Areas (don't LOCOG just love acronyms!)

There's actually a directory of them. The whole place runs on acronyms. I take the MM4-NTH bus from STG to the IBC, so I don't need to pass through a VSA.

Incidentally the Heineken plastic bottles are 4.30 but full pints are 4.60 so unless you've got a specific reason to buy a bottle (for example, you want to hurl one at Usain Bolt) then pints are the way to go. Queues are long but move fast at the bars.

Intriguingly, prices and limited ranges at the MPC/IBC bars are the same as the public ones except you can buy any kind of spirit (presumably Heineken doesn't own a spirit brand?) and pints of Heineken are a remarkably cheap 2.75. Not that Heineken is trying to avoid negative coverage of course...

At Wimbledon on the gate I saw a few bottles of champagne having to be quickly guzzled or poured away before entry as well as a litre bottle of gin (most of which ended on the grass), and someone managed 4 cans of lager on their own.

I wonder why people bring these things - pretty clear that they won't be allowed and plenty of sports events already search bags and remove any alcohol, even under 100ml. If you really need gin inside, buy some miniatures...

I guess people just don't read what they are sent - instructions clearly say no alcohol is allowed in to any venue, although it is on sale in side (Heineken, No 1 Cup etc).

£2.75? crikey! Why's the place always empty?
(Apparently I walked right past Serena Williams in there this afternoon - she was posing for photos and signing autographs, but only in exchange for Olympic pin badges.)

Are you OK to take food in?

http://www.tickets.london2012.com/purchaseterms.html

clause 19.2.3 says not.....

There is no restriction in taking in "reasonable" amounts of food. I daresay the conditions are there so that you can be stopped if necessary, but there's no problem taking a packed lunch in. And given the food and drink queues in the park, it's not a bad idea.

If you look at the list of restricted items within venue information the phrase used is 'excessive amounts of food'. The limit on bag size is 25l ...

(And going back a few posts, the prohibition on pets does not include 'service animals'.)