Two Just Stop Oil protesters have disrupted a Wimbledon match after running out onto the grass and throwing orange confetti.

Play has been suspended on Court 18, where Bulgaria’s Grigor Dimitrov was playing Japan’s Sho Shimabukuro.

Just Stop Oil said the supporters ran on to the court at around 2.10pm and “threw environmentally-friendly orange confetti glitter and jigsaw pieces on to the courts, before being removed”.

Leafblowers were used to clear the court.

Security had been enhanced for the Grand Slam after a spate of protests at high-level events in Britain.

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Deborah Wilde, 68, a retired teacher from London, who was one of the protesters who ran on the court, said: “I’m just an ordinary grandmother in resistance to this government’s policy of serving us new oil and gas licences. In normal circumstances this sort of disruption would be entirely unacceptable, but these aren’t normal circumstances.

“Forget strawberries and cream, scientists are warning of impending food shortages, mass displacement and war. We are facing new pandemics, economic inflation and increasingly authoritarian governments who will attempt to crush civil unrest.

“This is a crisis and it needs a crisis response. I want a safe future, not just for my grandchildren but for all children around the world and the generations to come.”

The other Just Stop Oil protester who invaded Court 18 was Simon Milner-Edwards, 66, a retired musician, from Manchester.

He said: “I’m here for my grandchildren and everybody else’s. I’m not prepared to let our politicians wreck everything and leave the next generation to pick up the pieces.

“The last thing I want to do is spoil people’s enjoyment of Wimbledon, but right now, on Centre Court, it’s humanity versus oil and gas – and the umpire is getting every call wrong.”

The environmental group disrupted the second Ashes cricket test at Lord’s last week, attempting to spread orange powder on the wicket.

They also intervened in this year’s Premiership Rugby final and the World Snooker Championship in Sheffield where they smeared orange powder over a table.

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