Excitement has been building in Merton as the Wimbledon Tennis Championships got underway this week, with Merton Council playing a significant role in supporting and ensuring the smooth running of the world famous event.

Leading up to the Championships, the council’s clean teams have been out ensuring Wimbledon town centre, Wimbledon Village and Wimbledon Park ready to receive thousands of tennis fans from all over the world. They will also be out and about between 6am and 10pm throughout the championships, cleaning the streets and greenspaces and expecting to collect over five tonnes of rubbish and recycling over the fortnight. Hundreds of recycling bags and general rubbish bags have been distributed around the park to cope with the extra demand.

The council is providing extra parking spaces in Wimbledon Park throughout the championships while ensuring residents can easily get in and out of their properties without disruption. Parking teams are working 16 hours a day issuing parking passes and keeping the car park clean and running smoothly. Officers are ensuring traffic keeps moving, enforcing parking restrictions and establishing waiting restrictions and one way systems.

Officers from the council’s trading standards and environmental health teams are visiting the All England Club and Wimbledon area daily to protect fans from illegal traders and ticket touts as well as ensuring catering facilities meet their hygiene standards. Every year, the council receives many calls from broadcasters to set up in Wimbledon Park. The council commissions Filmfixer to manage this demand. The company ensures that broadcasters get what they need and there is minimal disruption for residents.

Leader of Merton Council, Councillor Stephen Alambritis said: “We are working hard to ensure that the championships run smoothly and are a success for both fans and residents. Having the Wimbledon Tennis Championships in Merton brings great benefits to the community and local economy. Tennis fans will be flocking to local restaurants and businesses, supporting the local economy and making Wimbledon buzz with life. However, the championships produce a set of challenges that test our services in being able to cope with a large amount of pressure and congestion. This means that we can learn from our experience and make changes which will bring around improvements within the community.”

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Note to editors

Enquiries about filming around Merton and during The Championships should be addressed to FilmFixer.

If residents have any concerns about filming at any time, they can call a 24-hour emergency number on 07919 002 115