Allow For 'Massive' Queues Against Chelsea

Those fans turning up for West Ham United's first home game of the season should be prepared for lengthy queues as security will be tight to say the least, the fact it is the first home game AND that it is against London rivals Chelsea WILL mean incredibly long waiting times to get in through the Stadium's 'security net'.

New staff will have been briefed in advance and will carry out restrictions to the letter of the law which can be very frustrating, so here are a few salient points to remember. You CAN bring in snacks for the game, including home made sandwiches, packets of crisps and treats. You can also bring in drinks, now here is a contentious issue, recently trained newly employed security staff will most likely attempt to restrict anyone from bringing drinks in with them, they could insist that any liquids are poured from dispensers into disposable plastic glasses, however this is NOT in the rules.

The most they can possibly ask for is that you remove the bottle tops of the drink containers, they may try to infer that you CANNOT bring drinks containers in irrespective of if the lids are removed or not. This is NOT correct, so long as the container is made from plastic or cardboard you are PERFECTLY entitled to bring them in, you may have to remove lids if applicable, but despite what you are told, you ARE allowed to bring drinks in if you remove lids.

It might irritate those around you if you take a stand over this issue because it could cause additional delays, but it is your right to bring in whatever is NOT listed in the don'ts section of items listed art the entrance to the security check points!

HERE ARE THE OFFICIAL GUIDELINES :PERMITTED ITEMS

The following items are permitted into London Stadium on football matchdays:

• Blankets

• Plastic bottles (with tops removed)

• Thermos flasks

• Cameras with three-inch lenses or shorter. Kindly note that no lights, tripods, selfie-sticks or monopods are permitted.

• Small quantities of food & drink for personal consumption. Please note that food items will be inspected as part of the searching process.

• All bottles must have tops removed unless otherwise indicated

Yes, you did read it correctly, THERMOS FLASKS! are among the items permitted, however we strongly advise against Thermos Flasks as this would DEFINITELY cause massive delays while supervisors are sought to clarify the ruling, but plastic bottles with their tops removed ARE perfectly permissible!

Either way, be prepared for huge delays, but you won't need to bring a tent! - Ed