THRIFTY residents earn a small fortune flogging parking spaces on their driveways during the Wimbledon tennis tournament.
Homeowners in the wealthy south London district charge as much as £65 a day for a coveted spot close to the All England Club – meaning those with the largest properties can rake in £16,000 in just 14 days.
John Lloyd charges between £20 and £30 for a spot on his drive
Wimbledon is full of signs directing drivers to private parking spaces
Terry Moore, who has lived in the area with his wife for 47 years, makes just over a grand over the two-week championships.
The 76-year-old, who has only ever been to one match as he prefers to watch the action on the TV, said: “I’ve been doing this for about eight years and it’s very popular.
“People can book in advance or I’ll stand on my drive with a sign until someone drives past.
“Sometimes people are queueing up to get a space, other times I’ll have to wait an hour or two.”
Terry, who charges £20 per day, added: “I keep the money.
“If I charged any more I would probably give some away to charity, but I charge less than my neighbours who charge £30 and £40.
“Over the two weeks I’ll probably make about £1,000.
“I’m going to Amsterdam in August so it will pay for that, and a present for the wife.”
Further down Terry’s leafy suburban street is a mum-of-two who rents out five or six spots on her driveway for £30 a day.
The homeowner, who has lived in the area with her partner and two sons for 30 years, said: “My neighbours charge £40 but I charge less.
“It varies what I make but I don’t need to advertise as I’m usually very busy.”
The woman, originally from Pakistan, who did not want to give her name, added: “At first we didn’t do this, but five or six years ago I started and I can use this money well.”
While most locals say they make modest sums, those with the biggest homes can bank some serious cash.
One homeowner was standing with a clipboard and pen outside his sprawling detached house where 15 cars were already parked.
He declined to give his name nor reveal exactly how much he charges, but two women who had just left their keys with his pal said they had paid £65 for 24 hours.
There was space for at least three more vehicles, meaning the guy could make as much as £16,000 over the two weeks if he charges everybody the same rate.
One of the women who had just left her car said: “We paid £65 which we thought was pretty good.
“When we tried to book parking elsewhere there were lots of different prices, even up to £150 a day.
“Apparently they go really, really quickly so we just wanted it sorted. Plus we’re only a three-minute walk away from the courts.”
Many of those who rent parking spaces out pocket the cash for themselves, but plenty also donate their takings to charity.
John Lloyd has lived in Wimbledon with his wife for 40 years and has rented out his drive for the last 30.
The retired conference interpreter said: “We’ve been busy every day so far, mostly with regular customers.
“I believe the All England charges £35, but I charge less than that.
“It’s always a maximum of £30, often £25, but it depends on who it is and the make of car.
“The smaller it is, the better so I can fit more in and they’re easier to move.”
NET GAIN
The 86-year-old, who speaks Russian, French and German, added: “All the money I make goes to good causes, as it does for a lot of residents, but not everyone.
“Charity donations will be well into four figures.
“As my son is autistic, we give a lot of the money to the National Autistic Society, as well as various animal charities.
“My wife cares a lot about birds so we also give the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds.”
Another woman, who rents spaces on her drive for £30 a day, also said she gives the money she makes to charity.
The resident, who wished to remain anonymous, said: “I sponsor a student at Nottingham Trent University and the money finances their summer to do guided research in malnutrition.
“The university has quite a high proportion of less privileged students so they apply for this award and this money covers their costs.
“I’ve been doing this for about 28 years and I’ve donated to various causes.”
Some residents donate the money they make to charity while others keep it for themselves
One house charging £40 per day
Some homeowners offer parking all day and night
The homeowner, who has lived in Wimbledon since 1987, added: “I can fit 10 cars on my drive, 11 if they’re small, so I usually make about £2,500 to £3,000.
“But this year is not going to be the same because they’ve redirected all the traffic.
“We’ve got the wretched buses coming through. Apparently they’ve changed the system.
“We used to get streams of traffic down here but now they’ve sent them elsewhere.
“There’s not really competition between the neighbours because we’ve all got our own regulars.
“I’ve had lots of people coming to me for years and years.”
The side hustle is so lucrative some locals even employ people to sit on their drives and take Wimbledon-goers’ cash for them.
One man, who said he works the gates of the house he was stationed at every year, said: “I am charging £25 but some people charge a lot more. It’s very popular.”
Official Wimbledon Championships parking sets tennis fans back £35 a day but spaces are “strictly limited”.
There is also the option of “park and ride” for £15 a day, but it’s as bus journey away from the action.
Parking prices elsewhere in the area, where the average house goes for £622,579 versus the £278,000 UK average, vary – and there is also high competition for bays.
As many as 500,000 people attend the tournament over the two weeks, with daily ground capacity at 42,000 spectators.
This year’s championships got underway on June 27 and will conclude on July 10.
Families elsewhere in the UK are also earning a fortune renting parking spaces in Glastonbury Festival.
Rich Rayner, 64, snapped up a field just a 10-minute walk from the world renowned site in 1992 and now makes £30,000 in a week.
Official Wimbledon Championships parking is ‘strictly limited’
Another house offering private parking spaces
A house with room for one car donates the money to Unicef
Some houses have room for as many as 18 cars
Tennis fans arriving at the tournament in south London
A sign for more charity parking in the area
Official parking costs £35 a day