We all know the Wombling song; that they're tidy and clean and make good use of the things the everyday folks leave behind. A lesser known line in the full version of the popular Wimbledon Common song is Wombles are "incredibly, utterly devious" and hey ho, that's been borne out today as locals living close to the All England Club are flogging their special Tournament resident parking permits on eBay.

These were special yellow permits issued free to local residents who then took an enterprising approach to their special parking privileges, made copies and stuck them on eBay for up to £60. Wandsworth caught onto this, and subsequently reissued blue permits writing sternly to those receiving them and warning of legal action if the permits were sold on.

However, as a Council spokesperson admitted, "It's not strictly speaking illegal" so we doubt the crafty Wombles of Wimbledon are quaking in their well heeled boots. Just watch out if you've got hold of a dodgy yellow permit - you will be towed away.

Image courtesy of Charles Thompson's Flickrstream under the Creative Commons Attribution license.