MOTORISTS who dare to stray into VIP lanes reserved for athletes and officials at the 2012 London Olympics face penalties of up to £5,000 under special powers sanctioned by the government.

As many as 55,000 members of the “Olympic family”, including ministers, media and corporate sponsors, will be able to sweep past other traffic in scenes reminiscent of Moscow’s politburo-only Zil lanes.

The lanes, linking sports venues across the capital, are likely to operate between 6.30am and midnight. They will be policed by cameras and enforcement officers.

Ordinary drivers will be herded into the remaining lanes, prompting fears of gridlock — and those who try to break out will be hit with severe penalties.

According to the London Olympics Bill, which passed its committee stage in the Commons last week, motorists who enter the VIP lanes, or infringe the new Olympic Route Network (ORN) in any other way, face a maximum penalty of £5,000 and a criminal record. This is five times the maximum penalty for most offences under the Road Traffic Offenders Act, such as failing to stop at a red light.

Although motorists will initially be issued with a fixed penalty notice of a lower value — to be set by a new Olympic Delivery Authority — the bill allows them to be prosecuted if they refuse or fail to pay and fined up to £5,000.

By contrast, straying into a bus lane in London is currently a civil offence with a maximum fine of £150, which can be recovered by bailiffs.

“One would expect draconian sanctions like this for serious road safety breaches rather than technical breaches of regulations,” said Paul Watters, head of roads policy at the AA Motoring Trust. “Why should a simple mistake cost someone up to £5,000?”

The dedicated lanes, part of the 150-mile ORN, will give priority to competitors and bigwigs such as Tessa Jowell, the culture secretary.

They will be transported daily in 2,500 buses and cars fitted with technology capable of turning traffic lights green on their approach. About 12,000 corporate sponsors and their guests will also be allowed to use the lanes.

A spokesman for the Department for Culture, Media and Sport, said: “The last thing we are after is people’s money — we simply want to get everyone to their venues on time.”

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