A new exclusion zone is the latest weapon in the fight against illegal ticket sellers at the Wimbledon tennis championships.

"There is a problem with ticket touts and we are deploying a dedicated squad to deal with that," said Superintendent Pete Dobson, the man responsible for policing the tournament.

The exclusion zone allows officers to move on groups of two or more people selling tickets in the area, with the threat of arrest if they return within 24 hours.

It will be in place for the length of the championships, and cover an area roughly 2km by 1km including the All England Club and Wimbledon Village.

The exclusion zone, which is a collaboration between the police and Merton Council, can also be used to target antisocial behaviour.

Tariq Ahmad, the council's cabinet member for community safety and engagement, said: "By introducing a dispersal zone we have given ourselves an extra opportunity to stop the ticket touts. But we also are working with the police to ensure that there are officers and neighbourhood wardens out on the streets ensuring Wimbledon provides a safe and enjoyable environment for everybody."

Supt Dobson said that the police were also be on the look out for stalkers and obsessed fans, a number of whom have already been contacted and warned to stay away from the tournament.

He added that the possibility of terrorist attacks remained a real danger, although there has been no specific threat against this year's championships.

He also claimed that the level of policing elsewhere in Merton would not drop because of the focus on the tennis.

"We have officers drafted in from the surrounding boroughs - any disruption will be minimal," he said.