Wimbledon staff 'admit water at bottle refill stations is "undrinkable"', days after announcing they will CHARGE fans for refilling bottles - with sponsor Evian's mineral water

Wimbledon have been dealt an embarrassing mishap days before the Grand Slam gets underway after staff reportedly admitted water at bottle refill stations at the qualifying event was 'undrinkable'.

The iconic Grand Slam begins on Monday, but qualifying has been taking place this week at Roehampton, with 16 spots available in the men's and women's single draws.

However, despite the scorching weather on display, problems have arisen with the drinking water available to spectators.

The quality of the free water at refill stations at Wimbledon has regularly come under fire over the years, but on Tuesday, some fans explained how the system completely broke down.

As a result, members of staff were forced to hand out free bottles of Evian, a major sponsor of Wimbledon. 

One fan took to X to reveal they were told the water 'isn't drinkable' as they said: 'Wimbledon’s sustainability plan is off to a good start. The water from the refill taps "isn’t drinkable" so they are handing out bottles of Evian instead.'

Another supporter added: 'System went downhill fast. It was closed to the public and they started handing out Evian water bottles to everyone. 

'They said they were going to fix the problem for Wednesday. No water in the ladies loo hand basins for about two hours. Charming.'

The mishap comes after Wimbledon revealed a new scheme will be in place this year which will see fans charged for refilling bottles. 

In partnership with Evian, fans can pay £5 to secure Evian mineral water refills from various stations around the venue, in a venture that is the first of its kind.  

Explaining the new initiative, Gemma Morgan, a marketing director of Evian's parent company Danone, said: 'We know that refill plays, and will continue to play, a major role in the way people consume water here in the UK. 

'The response to the player refill system last year was incredibly positive, so we want to expand refill to spectators to explore the potential at a larger scale.'

It also comes after players were given the opportunity to take part in the refill system last year when it was on offer in changing rooms and restaurants.

114,000 single-use plastic bottles were supplied for the 2022 tournament, whereas only 10,000 reusable bottles were on offer to the stars in 2023, with this something that has been welcomed by players, including Emma Raducanu.

Similarly, former British star Laura Robson previously hit out at those who wasted water by using plastic bottles.

'There are all the players on the practice courts just taking a couple of sips from a water bottle and then leaving it there,' she said.

'Should there be a fine, maybe? We're joking about it, but maybe that's something that needs to happen.'