EXCLUSIVE BY MATT HUGHES: The fate of Wimbledon will be decided by the Government but it is understood that there is extreme reluctance in SW19 to hold their iconic event without spectators.

British tennis is among the bodies in the world game left counting the cost as the sport waits anxiously to see if the French Open and Wimbledon can go ahead.

Shoppers up and down the country have been stocking up on toilet paper, leading to fears of a shortage which could force customers to use kitchen roll or other substitutes.

A glittering summer of sport is set to be wiped out by the impact of coronavirus - with social restrictions imposed earlier this week set to be in place for the next six months.

No sooner had Roland Garros lobbed a hand grenade into this year's tennis calendar than All England Club was adopting a Keep Calm And Carry On stance on whether to go ahead.

A fried chicken shop near Europe's busiest railway station has been shut down after horrified inspectors found raw sewage in the kitchen sink, pouring in from broken drain pipes.

MIKE DICKSON: Holed up in her London flat, the usually globetrotting Jo Konta is clinging to the distant hope that Wimbledon might be saved from the cull of major summer sporting events.

Wimbledon chiefs have no plans to try to move this year's tournament back into the now vacant Olympics slot - despite it offering two more weeks for the coronavirus crisis to lift.

The likelihood of Wimbledon being called off for this year was ramped up on Wednesday night after the All England Club revealed it was calling an emergency board meeting next week.

Roger Federer can expect to be among the first to know when, as appears almost certain, Wimbledon is called off later this week. He could be about to lose his best chance of adding a 21st Grand Slam.

The tournament will be cancelled for the first time since the Second World War, with options such as playing the event behind closed doors and postponement not viewed as feasible.

We've already seen coronavirus decimate the sporting calendar, with Euro 2020 and the Tokyo Olympics among dozens of events either postponed or cancelled. So what will be the next event to fall?

The All England Club is holding an emergency meeting on Wednesday to discuss the fate of the 2020 Championships but former mixed doubles champion Jamie Murray feels it has to be cancelled.

Wimbledon is expected to be called off in the next 24 hours, although the financial damage will be limited by its extensive insurance policy that guards against the Coronavirus pandemic.

The coronavirus pandemic spreading across the globe has put paid to many sporting events, and The Championships are the next to fall, with the UK death toll currently standing at 2,352.

GUY ADAMS: The crazy cross-section of actors, pop stars, politicians and toffs who score an invitation to the Royal Box says much about the vagaries of modern Britain.

Two of the greatest tennis players of all-time have reacted after Wimbledon was cancelled due to the coronavirus outbreak. Roger Federer and Serena Williams both revealed their shock on Wednesday.

Holding a proper Wimbledon behind closed doors would still have involved having at least 5,000 people at the All England Club. That is said to be the startling internal estimate circulated.

Though expected, the cancellation of this year's Wimbledon for the first time since the Second World War caused an outpouring of emotion among tennis fans.

The All England Club's insurance policy, in the region of £1.5m-a-year, was updated in 2003 after organisers asked for a virus-related clause inserted following concerns over the SARS outbreak.

EXCLUSIVE BY SAMI MOKBEL: AFC Wimbledon are set to become the next EFL club to furlough their footballing staff, Sportsmail understands.

The claim will help to cover the £250m plus loss of revenue after the coronavirus outbreak wiped out the fortnight-long tournament, which was set to start in June.

Tim Henman believes that Wimbledon crowds will get to see Andy Murray play there again, even if they have to wait another 15 months.

The body of a man has been discovered in a pond in Cannizaro Park, Wimbledon, today. Police say the man is believed to be aged in his 70s. His death is not being treated as suspicious.

EXCLUSIVE: The BBC is hoping to make up for the loss of Wimbledon with a daily show across the scheduled fortnight featuring top players and great memories from the past.

EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW BY MIKE DICKSON: Many millions will share Sue Barker's anguish at Wimbledon's cancellation, though she still hopes to serve viewers their fortnight tennis fix.

Andy Murray could be in action this summer as part of a behind-closed-doors tournament. Wimbledon was cancelled due to the coronavirus pandemic but Andy's brother Jamie has backed a new event.

Kate Middleton, 38, looked patriotic in the £250 elegant scarlet Cayla gown by British brand LK Bennett, which she first wore to the Wimbledon Tennis Championships in 2015.

British supermarket Asda have restocked the popular pineapple plant said to help keep snoring at bay, costing just £10.

Beef burger patties from British supermarkets Asda, Tesco and Waitrose are packed with 'filler' ingredients like rusk, water and flavouring, as well as beef, according to a study.

Nearly 20 types of houmous from stores including Sainsbury's Morrisons, Aldi, Lidl and Asda are part of the recall by the UK Food Standards Agency.

Budget supermarket Lidl took home ten of the 17 prizes for festive food at the Quality Food and Drink Awards, while Aldi picked up two, Asda was awarded one and M&S took home four.

Brian Fraser (pictured) had been due before magistrates in April in Swindon to answer child sex abuse allegations, but failed to turn up to court. Police caught him after spotting him in a car park.

HARRY WALLOP: Once an expensive delicacy costing as much as £900, and sold only by top-end Spanish delicatessens, they're now as little as £25 from Asda or Lidl.

Asda is selling 170g bags of the chunks for £3.99 across the UK, sending many fans into a frenzy online. A 465ml tub of ben & Jerry's costs £4.85-£5.00 meaning the bags are pricier per 100ml.

Rosemarie Riley (pictured) had popped out to the Asda superstore in Skelmersdale, Lancashire, to pick up a few essentials on Tuesday afternoon, which is when she made her x-rated mistake.

Dr Andrew Sadler from Gateshead referred himself to the General Medical Council.The doctor has continued working in NHS palliative care since the incident.

Online supermarket retailer Ocado has 'gone into meltdown' today as its website malfunctioned as panicked Brits continue to buy in bulk due to the rise in coronavirus cases across the country.

Duncan Johnson, 41, demanded Natalie Grimes' keys at an Asda car park in Liverpool as he tried to rob a vehicle with her daughter, seven, inside. He was jailed for six years after the incident in March.

The IHS Markit UK Household Finance Index, which measures households' perceptions of their financial wellbeing, plummeted to a reading of 34.9 in April from 42.5 in March.

The fashion and homeware store went bust last month after it failed to raise emergency cash from its owners, becoming the first household name to fall victim to the coronavirus lockdown.

Online supermarket Ocado removed 11,087 promotions and hiked the base price of 918 products between March 4 and April 8. Founder and chief exec Tim Steiner's stake is worth some £480m

On Monday evening, the value of a barrel of West Texas Intermediate (WTI) oil, or Texas Light Sweet, declined to an unprecedented MINUS $40.32. It was the blackest of days for black gold.

The online food delivery firm's merger got the go-ahead from the Competition and Markets Authority, who was 'satisfied there are no competition concerns' after its probe of the deal.

Following a row over the cost of new planes, Haji-Ioannou is trying to oust chief executive Johan Lundgren and chairman John Barton at an extraordinary shareholder meeting on May 22.

Paracelsus Recovery said the rise in requests was mostly from high-flying businessmen who were struggling to adapt to their new style of life.

While the group got off to a strong start this year, social distancing, Government lockdown interventions and economic uncertainty have started to take their toll.

Tesla's factory in Fremont, California, has been closed since March 24 as part of a government clampdown, requiring people to stay indoors to slow the spread of the coronavirus.

The fast food business's 1,350 restaurants have been closed since the Government brought in lockdown measures in March due to concerns over staff and customer safety.

The Financial Reporting Council has found most accounting firms are failing to assess whether their audits of major companies are any good until after they have already published them.