Keeping the supply chain in London moving during the Olympic Games has been flagged up as a priority by the Freight Transport Association (FTA).
The flagship sporting event got underway at the weekend following a successful opening ceremony last Friday (July 27th), which featured the likes of Daniel Craig, Sir Paul McCartney, Arctic Monkeys and thousands of volunteers.
This means that all the contingency plans that have been drawn up by London-based businesses and logistics companies to ensure effective?fleet management?are now being implemented.
According to the FTA, it is "essential" that the supply chain in the capital keeps operating smoothly throughout the Games.
The organisation warned that if this cannot be achieved, there could be numerous problems, such as stock on supermarket shelves running low and restaurants being unable to obtain fresh produce.
While contingency plans have been drawn up by logistics firms well in advance of the Olympics, the FTA believes it is critical they are able to respond to any unforeseen circumstances that may arise.
For instance, the group noted that water mains may burst, collisions might take place and vehicles could break down at a time when many people are already trying to work around the scheduled disruption on the city's roads.
Natalie Chapman, head of policy in London at the body, said: "FTA has been helping the industry over the last few years to plan for the Games - now they are finally here, we have to be ready for the unexpected."
"It is the job of the logistics industry to help deliver the ultimate visitor experience to the capital," the FTA commented.
Today (July 30th) represents a particular challenge for logistics firms, as it is the first working day on which Olympic events are being staged, which means athletes are competing at the same time as local people are trying to get to work. However, transport authorities appear to have coped and avoided widespread disruption and congestion in the city centre.
