Heathrow welcomes record numbers through its gates and Olympic lanes are opened on the M4 from Heathrow into central London.

The London airport is expected to see 236,955 passengers today, the start of the busy period for Olympic arrivals.


Throughout the day, athletes will arrive from more than 50 countries with London 2012 coaches transporting them to the Olympic Village via the new traffic lanes.


“Today heralds the start of Britain’s biggest peacetime transport challenge and Heathrow’s busiest ever period,” said Nick Cole, head of Olympic and Paralympic planning at BAA.


“We have spent seven years preparing for the Games’ challenge. Now we are putting that planning into action with thousands of extra staff and volunteers on hand to welcome the world to London.”


Reserved for accredited Games vehicles and on-call emergency vehicles, drivers have been warned they face a fine of up to £130 if they stray into the M4 Olympic lanes.


Operational for specific times each day, most lanes will operate between 6am and midnight but this will vary in some cases.


Additional lanes are not yet restricted and will remain open to all drivers until the 25 July, but confusion over their operation has already caused tailbacks as thousands of cars avoid the lanes for fear of being fined.


Team GB archer and former 'white van man', Simon Terry, urges businesses not to get caught out and to plan their road journeys in advance at GetAheadoftheGames.com.