More and swift action is required: England chef de Mission

The first British batch, which had men's hockey and lawn bowls teams, arrived on Friday and was taken to hotel instead of Village, which is still being readied to host athletes. Many participating nations had reserved their decision to send their teams to New Delhi in the wake of a disastrous run-up, in which the Village was termed as "filthy and unlivable", a tourist bus was attacked and construction delays mounted concerns.

England's chef de mission Craig Hunter said things have improved but a lot need to be done. "In the village, the level of activity continues to pick up and we are in a phase of looking at the detail, making sure that fire and safety equipment and procedures are in place and that the apartments are clean and safe," Hunter said.

"Our next wave of athletes arrives Sunday and a lot still needs to happen before then. More and swift action is required," Hunter was quoted as saying by the BBC. Strong Commonwealth nations such as Australia, New Zealand, Scotland and Ireland have confirmed their participation.

Meanwhile, England's men hockey team visited the village yesterday and were reasonably satisfied with the facilities. "It's nice to see it for ourselves. The flats are spacious - which is good for a major Games - but there are bits and pieces to be done to bring them up to standard," Captain Barry Middleton said. "A couple of days will make a difference," he added.