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London - Police stopped a group of suspected protesters in the queue at the Wimbledon tennis championships on Saturday, causing hold-ups for thousands of fans waiting to get inside the grounds.
Club officials decided to keep the gates closed for an extra 45 minutes while they assessed the nature of the threat.
Stars scheduled to play Saturday included the top three male players, Rafael Nadal, Novak Djokovic and Roger Federer, alongside women's world number one Caroline Wozniacki, four-time champion Serena Williams and 2004 winner Maria Sharapova.
The group of 14 people - whose cause and identity was not revealed by police - wore yellow T-shirts bearing slogans, including "Democracy", and had paint and other equipment to make banners hidden in bags.
The All England Lawn Tennis Club (AELTC) imposed a security lockdown so officials "could establish what the level of threat was".
"Acting on information received that there might be a potential demonstration at Wimbledon we have been taking some actions to prevent it," the private club said in a brief statement.
A police helicopter flew over the south-west London complex to monitor the situation.
A police spokesperson said: "At approximately 11:30 a number of people were stopped in the queue at the tennis for Wimbledon and items were also found near to this group, believed to be for use in a demonstration or publicity stunt.
"The police informed the AELTC which delayed the opening of the gates where additional searches took place.
"A number of individuals are not being allowed access to the tennis following the searches. No arrests were made."
Sources said the group were removed from the queue and left peacefully after seeking to demonstrate against government policy.
The tournament has attracted daily crowds of more than 40 000, despite rainy weather. Hundreds regularly queue overnight to get the 500 Centre Court tickets released on the day.
London's police said as the grasscourt championships got under way Monday that they were prepared for the possibility of bomb threats and attacks targeting the tournament, while stressing they had received no specific threats.
Police officers are regularly on the look-out for stalkers. Around a dozen people have received written letters telling them they will not be allowed into the club.
Club officials decided to keep the gates closed for an extra 45 minutes while they assessed the nature of the threat.
Stars scheduled to play Saturday included the top three male players, Rafael Nadal, Novak Djokovic and Roger Federer, alongside women's world number one Caroline Wozniacki, four-time champion Serena Williams and 2004 winner Maria Sharapova.
The group of 14 people - whose cause and identity was not revealed by police - wore yellow T-shirts bearing slogans, including "Democracy", and had paint and other equipment to make banners hidden in bags.
The All England Lawn Tennis Club (AELTC) imposed a security lockdown so officials "could establish what the level of threat was".
"Acting on information received that there might be a potential demonstration at Wimbledon we have been taking some actions to prevent it," the private club said in a brief statement.
A police helicopter flew over the south-west London complex to monitor the situation.
A police spokesperson said: "At approximately 11:30 a number of people were stopped in the queue at the tennis for Wimbledon and items were also found near to this group, believed to be for use in a demonstration or publicity stunt.
"The police informed the AELTC which delayed the opening of the gates where additional searches took place.
"A number of individuals are not being allowed access to the tennis following the searches. No arrests were made."
Sources said the group were removed from the queue and left peacefully after seeking to demonstrate against government policy.
The tournament has attracted daily crowds of more than 40 000, despite rainy weather. Hundreds regularly queue overnight to get the 500 Centre Court tickets released on the day.
London's police said as the grasscourt championships got under way Monday that they were prepared for the possibility of bomb threats and attacks targeting the tournament, while stressing they had received no specific threats.
Police officers are regularly on the look-out for stalkers. Around a dozen people have received written letters telling them they will not be allowed into the club.
