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Desperate tennis fans with nowhere to park for the Wimbledon tournament are paying £20 to leave their cars on graves in a nearby churchyard.
St Mary's Church in Wimbledon Village is offering spectators parking spots on consecrated ground for £20 a day, directly above the remains of parishioners.
The proceeds of the unofficial parking scheme go to charity but some residents are angry with the plan, describing it as 'disrespectful'.
In previous years cars have been restricted to the adjacent field.
One resident, Tim Brown, 38, said it was completely 'out of order'.
'The expression to feel like someone's walked over your grave - well imagine a 4x4 parked over your grave.
'I think it's disrespectful to people who have family buried there. I noticed it the other day when I was walking past, about six or seven cars parked there.
'There's plenty of parking elsewhere for tennis-goers, Wimbledon make absolutely loads more parking available during the tennis.'
Walking all over: In previous years the church has had cars park only in an adjacent field, but with record crowds at Wimbledon, vehicles as big as a four-wheel drive spilled on to the graveyard
Mr Brown said people were simply too lazy to walk the extra five miles to the courts.
'Graveyards and churches are just places where you have a bit of respect for the dead - and these people clearly don't have that,' he said.
Reverend Mary Bide said that although the cars look 'odd', they were only parked in the oldest part of the graveyard and funds raised would make a 'valuable contribution to the Church and the Diocese'.
But the church has since apologised for the car parking arrangement and has stopped the use of the churchyard.
'Over many years, during the Wimbledon Championships, the parish of St Mary Wimbledon has offered this service to the public,' a church spokesman said.
'Each year three designated charities benefit from some of the money raised by allowing the cars to park and the rest goes towards work within the parish.
'Sadly, this year, some cars were parked in inappropriate places.'
Tennis fans desperate to catch the Wimbledon action are parking on top of graves for £20 a day | Mail Online
St Mary's Church in Wimbledon Village is offering spectators parking spots on consecrated ground for £20 a day, directly above the remains of parishioners.
The proceeds of the unofficial parking scheme go to charity but some residents are angry with the plan, describing it as 'disrespectful'.
In previous years cars have been restricted to the adjacent field.
One resident, Tim Brown, 38, said it was completely 'out of order'.
'The expression to feel like someone's walked over your grave - well imagine a 4x4 parked over your grave.
'I think it's disrespectful to people who have family buried there. I noticed it the other day when I was walking past, about six or seven cars parked there.
'There's plenty of parking elsewhere for tennis-goers, Wimbledon make absolutely loads more parking available during the tennis.'
Walking all over: In previous years the church has had cars park only in an adjacent field, but with record crowds at Wimbledon, vehicles as big as a four-wheel drive spilled on to the graveyard
Mr Brown said people were simply too lazy to walk the extra five miles to the courts.
'Graveyards and churches are just places where you have a bit of respect for the dead - and these people clearly don't have that,' he said.
Reverend Mary Bide said that although the cars look 'odd', they were only parked in the oldest part of the graveyard and funds raised would make a 'valuable contribution to the Church and the Diocese'.
But the church has since apologised for the car parking arrangement and has stopped the use of the churchyard.
'Over many years, during the Wimbledon Championships, the parish of St Mary Wimbledon has offered this service to the public,' a church spokesman said.
'Each year three designated charities benefit from some of the money raised by allowing the cars to park and the rest goes towards work within the parish.
'Sadly, this year, some cars were parked in inappropriate places.'
Tennis fans desperate to catch the Wimbledon action are parking on top of graves for £20 a day | Mail Online
