Parking restrictions around the All England Club will be tightened during the tennis fortnight after it emerged a private website advertised free spaces in controlled parking zones during last year’s event.
Tennis fans were pointed towards areas where restricted parking hours ended at 3pm, although it is unclear whether the website’s managers profited from the adverts.
Merton Council will now extend parking restriction during the championships around Wimbledon Park, running through to 9.30pm.
Residents will also be offered two free temporary permits to the zones for the duration of the extended restrictions.
Spaces during last year’s championships were in such short supply there were reports of fans paying to park over graves in St Mary’s Church.
Merton Council’s director of environment and regeneration, Chris Lee, said: “Residents are always at the heart of the actions we take and the policies we put in place.”
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