By . Nick Constable . PUBLISHED: . 18:55 EST, 19 May 2012 . | . UPDATED: . 18:55 EST, 19 May 2012 . Running into trouble: Eric Smith carries the Olympic torch on the first leg of its Britain, Northern Ireland and Ireland tour . The Olympic torch began its 8,000-mile relay around Britain yesterday – and was quickly at the centre of a moment of drama. As 76-year-old Eric Smith carried the flame for one section of the journey through Cornwall, a man came out of the cheering crowd and attempted to run alongside him. But the interloper quickly found himself bundled unceremoniously into a hedge by a Metropolitan Police officer in grey jogging gear. The officer was a member of the torch’s security team. The incident sent out a clear message to anyone planning to gatecrash the relay over the next 70 days before the torch arrives at the Olympic Stadium in East London. Mr Smith, a recipient of the George Medal in 1962 as a helicopter rescue winchman who helped save six people from a shipwreck at Land’s End, was unfazed by the incident. His son Ronnie said: ‘He’s had a great day.’ In a brief statement, Scotland Yard said: ‘We can confirm that officers from the Met’s Olympic Torch Team took action to prevent a man from gaining access to the torch-bearer close to Land’s End. Over zealous: The man emerges from the crowd and attempts to run alongside torch bearer Eric Smith . Oh no you don't: The man is immediately tackled by guards who swiftly get him out of the way . Taken down: He is thrown to the floor into some hedges and torch bearer Eric Smith carries on as if nothing happened . ‘We would like to remind members of the public not to attempt to breach the security envelope.’ The first to carry the torch was sailing champion Ben Ainslie, who said it was ‘one of the more nervous moments in my life’ after setting out from Land’s End. The triple Olympic gold medallist opted to ‘savour the moment’ by walking rather than running his allotted 300 metres. He stopped regularly to let some of the 3,500-strong crowd see the flame close up. After passing it on to GB girls surf champion Tassy Swallow, 18, of St Ives, Cornwall, he admitted: ‘I did not really want to rush it. I wanted to give everyone the chance to touch the torch.’ Being the first to carry the flame on home soil would be a treasured memory, said Ainslie, 35, who is aiming to win his fourth successive gold this summer. He said: ‘That particular moment ranks right up there with winning a gold medal. State - backed Royal Bank of Scotland has provoked fury by lavishing corporate hospitality on its clients at the London Olympics. Executives from RBS’s investment banking division, which was widely blamed for the bank’s near-collapse four years ago, will be able to enjoy gourmet dishes and champagne while they watch the events – most of which are sold out to members of the public. RBS chiefs have purchased tickets thought to have cost hundreds of thousands of pounds from a company which is charging up to £7,500 per seat. But despite repeated requests by this newspaper, the bank, which is 82 per cent owned by the taxpayer, refused to reveal the cost of the tickets. A spokesman said: ‘It’s just not something we want to put out there.’ Another added: ‘The policy of not talking about the tickets has been decided way above my grade.’ Last night Labour MP John Mann said: ‘It’s an outrageous use of taxpayers’ money. We have bailed them out to the tune of £50 billion. ‘It is quite unnecessary at the current time and shows that RBS is continuing with the sort of old-style extravagance that we saw when Fred Goodwin was in charge.’ The £7.5 million pavilion where RBS bosses will entertain guests is 50 yards from the stadium in the Olympic Park in Stratford. Guests will be offered a gourmet menu  as part of the deal with hospitality firm Prestige Ticketing. Dishes will include loin of salmon, smoked duck roulade and Avruga caviar, which costs £25 for a 4oz serving. Four-course dinners are expected to feature seared scallops, wild nettle risotto and saddle of lamb. The wine list includes Laurent-Perrier Cuvee Rose Brut, which costs about £60 a bottle. RBS said: ‘Like all British companies we have been asked to support this historic event and are happy to do so. The Olympics has provided opportunities for us and our customers to do new business together to the benefit of the  wider economy.’ ‘It was incredibly special. It is one of those moments in your life where you are just in shock. At least I didn’t trip over.’ After her leg, Miss Swallow added: ‘This meant the world to me.’ Today the torch will head towards North Devon from Plymouth en route to 1,021 villages, towns and cities across the country. The flame, lit by the sun’s rays at a ceremony in Olympia, Greece, last week, will be carried by an average 110 torch-bearers each day. The event will end on July 27 when the final runner – still unnamed – enters the Olympic Stadium to light the Games cauldron.
Man is bundled into a hedge after trying to run alongside torchbearer Eric Smith .
Clear message sent to anyone planning to gatecrash as torch continues its tour across the country .
By . Nick Constable . PUBLISHED: . 18:55 EST, 19 May 2012 . | . UPDATED: . 18:55 EST, 19 May 2012 . Running into trouble: Eric Smith carries the Olympic torch on the first leg of its Britain, Northern Ireland and Ireland tour . The Olympic torch began its 8,000-mile relay around Britain yesterday – and was quickly at the centre of a moment of drama. As 76-year-old Eric Smith carried the flame for one section of the journey through Cornwall, a man came out of the cheering crowd and attempted to run alongside him. But the interloper quickly found himself bundled unceremoniously into a hedge by a Metropolitan Police officer in grey jogging gear. The officer was a member of the torch’s security team. The incident sent out a clear message to anyone planning to gatecrash the relay over the next 70 days before the torch arrives at the Olympic Stadium in East London. Mr Smith, a recipient of the George Medal in 1962 as a helicopter rescue winchman who helped save six people from a shipwreck at Land’s End, was unfazed by the incident. His son Ronnie said: ‘He’s had a great day.’ In a brief statement, Scotland Yard said: ‘We can confirm that officers from the Met’s Olympic Torch Team took action to prevent a man from gaining access to the torch-bearer close to Land’s End. Over zealous: The man emerges from the crowd and attempts to run alongside torch bearer Eric Smith . Oh no you don't: The man is immediately tackled by guards who swiftly get him out of the way . Taken down: He is thrown to the floor into some hedges and torch bearer Eric Smith carries on as if nothing happened . ‘We would like to remind members of the public not to attempt to breach the security envelope.’ The first to carry the torch was sailing champion Ben Ainslie, who said it was ‘one of the more nervous moments in my life’ after setting out from Land’s End. The triple Olympic gold medallist opted to ‘savour the moment’ by walking rather than running his allotted 300 metres. He stopped regularly to let some of the 3,500-strong crowd see the flame close up. After passing it on to GB girls surf champion Tassy Swallow, 18, of St Ives, Cornwall, he admitted: ‘I did not really want to rush it. I wanted to give everyone the chance to touch the torch.’ Being the first to carry the flame on home soil would be a treasured memory, said Ainslie, 35, who is aiming to win his fourth successive gold this summer. He said: ‘That particular moment ranks right up there with winning a gold medal. State - backed Royal Bank of Scotland has provoked fury by lavishing corporate hospitality on its clients at the London Olympics. Executives from RBS’s investment banking division, which was widely blamed for the bank’s near-collapse four years ago, will be able to enjoy gourmet dishes and champagne while they watch the events – most of which are sold out to members of the public. RBS chiefs have purchased tickets thought to have cost hundreds of thousands of pounds from a company which is charging up to £7,500 per seat. But despite repeated requests by this newspaper, the bank, which is 82 per cent owned by the taxpayer, refused to reveal the cost of the tickets. A spokesman said: ‘It’s just not something we want to put out there.’ Another added: ‘The policy of not talking about the tickets has been decided way above my grade.’ Last night Labour MP John Mann said: ‘It’s an outrageous use of taxpayers’ money. We have bailed them out to the tune of £50 billion. ‘It is quite unnecessary at the current time and shows that RBS is continuing with the sort of old-style extravagance that we saw when Fred Goodwin was in charge.’ The £7.5 million pavilion where RBS bosses will entertain guests is 50 yards from the stadium in the Olympic Park in Stratford. Guests will be offered a gourmet menu  as part of the deal with hospitality firm Prestige Ticketing. Dishes will include loin of salmon, smoked duck roulade and Avruga caviar, which costs £25 for a 4oz serving. Four-course dinners are expected to feature seared scallops, wild nettle risotto and saddle of lamb. The wine list includes Laurent-Perrier Cuvee Rose Brut, which costs about £60 a bottle. RBS said: ‘Like all British companies we have been asked to support this historic event and are happy to do so. The Olympics has provided opportunities for us and our customers to do new business together to the benefit of the  wider economy.’ ‘It was incredibly special. It is one of those moments in your life where you are just in shock. At least I didn’t trip over.’ After her leg, Miss Swallow added: ‘This meant the world to me.’ Today the torch will head towards North Devon from Plymouth en route to 1,021 villages, towns and cities across the country. The flame, lit by the sun’s rays at a ceremony in Olympia, Greece, last week, will be carried by an average 110 torch-bearers each day. The event will end on July 27 when the final runner – still unnamed – enters the Olympic Stadium to light the Games cauldron.
unceremoniously into a hedge by a Metropolitan incident sent out a clear message to anyone planning to gatecrash the relay over the next 70 the crowd and attempts to run alongside torch towns and cities across the country. The flame,