Wimbledon chaos as untrained staff almost give away free money to tennis fans – EXCLUSIVE

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Wimbledon has suffered another blunder following reports of staff being sacked and workers taken into custody over a fight. Express Sport has learned that a large number of staff had to be stopped from giving away free money after chancers brought in dozens of cups looking for a £1 deposit refund on all of them – many of which did not qualify for the refund.

As part of Wimbledon’s eco-friendly initiatives, spectators have been charged a £1 deposit for plastic cups on all drinks they buy with the chance to return the cup at the end of the day for a refund on the £1, and the ability to exchange the cup for a new one as they get through each drink during their time on site. Cups have been colour-coded to make staff aware of those that do not qualify for a £1 deposit, with staff, media and hospitality spectators given different colours as they do not pay for them.

But Express Sport understands that a number of staff members at bars and cafes on site have not been till trained and do not understand the colour coding system, meaning they have been close to giving away free money to those gathering dozens of cups in attempt to get the deposit back on all of them. 

One case saw four teenage boys round up 38 cups – most of which were colour coded for staff and hospitality – and bring them to one of the cafes to receive £38, with a member of staff on the till putting the refund through before a colleague noticed. They were forced to place their hand over the card machine to stop the boys receiving the money while the transaction was cancelled, with the boys attempting to tap the card over their hand to take the money.

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Other people have been bringing in around 20 cups they have gathered from empty tables which do not qualify for the deposit scheme and getting away with receiving a free £20 unless a higher-up member of staff has been there to stop the transaction in time. The news comes after the club suffered other gaffes in relation to staff and money.

Players and their teams had to be asked not to abuse the £90 allowance they were given by the club each day after a coach was spotted with 27 yoghurts as he tried to use up the money unnecessarily, according to the i.  Police were also called when security guards employed by Knights Group Security were embroiled in a fight, with three men taken into custody.

In a statement, the Metropolitan Police said: “At 2pm on Friday, 1 July, officers on duty at the Wimbledon tennis championships were alerted to an altercation within the grounds. Officers attended and three men working at the event were arrested on suspicion of affray. There were no reports of any injuries. They were taken into custody and were later bailed until a date in late July.”

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And Wimbledon has been accused of sacking staff on the spot for “bizarre reasons” after reportedly overestimating the number they would need for The Championships, with most of the cuts coming in hospitality and housekeeping. “We value all of the staff who help us to deliver the Championships, they are crucial to staging this world-class event,” the club said in a statement.

“We meet annually with each of our major contractors to agree the terms and conditions of employment, which are shared with all potential employees. We are delighted that many of our staff choose to return to work at Wimbledon year after year and help us to put on an incredible event.”

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