Wimbledon apologise after people left waiting over 10 hours in queue

Fans were angry on Monday that security checks to enter the All England Club were taking longer than usual

Wimbledon have issued an apology after people in the queue were forced to wait over 10 hours to enter the grounds on Monday.

Fans made their irritation known on social media as slow security resulted in many people waiting for hours on end on day one of the tournament.

Executives at the All England Club have been nervous about the potential for a protest during the fortnight, particularly from Just Stop Oil after they invaded the pitch at the Ashes Test at Lord’s last week, following previous incidents at the Grand National and World Snooker Championship.

Bags were being heavily scrutinised upon entry to the grounds, with chalk dust and powders the latest items banned by Wimbledon, as well as cable ties, glue, chains and padlocks on the list of prohibited items.

Michelle Dite, operations director of the AELTC, apologised on Tuesday for those stuck in the queue for a long time but detailed that day one saw the tournament’s highest attendance since 2015.

“We are sorry that there were a number of people who were in that queue for a long time,” she said.

Some fans had to wait for over 10 hours in the Wimbledon queue on Monday (Getty Images)

“We did go to 100 per cent bag checks for the safety and security of everybody who comes through our gates.

“That took a bit more time. In terms of volume of people, the due diligence that we were doing to make sure we were delivering a safe environment caused more delays than we anticipated.

“We got 11,500 people through the queue yesterday. We had our highest attendance at the championships on day one since 2015 yesterday.”

The pace of the queue improved on Tuesday, though the wet weather meant many people on ground passes saw limited action before play was suspended just after midday.

Two-time champion Andy Murray is among the players unaffected by the rain, as he currently plays his first-round match against fellow Brit Ryan Peniston under the roof.