Crackdown to beat ticket touts

A campaign to stop ticket touts ripping off theatregoers and sports fans was launched yesterday. Entertainment industry chiefs said too many customers could pay up to pounds 300 for a ticket, sometimes with only a restricted view of the ballet, opera, pop concert or sporting event.

Agents and venues who sign up to become members of the Society of Ticket Agents and Retailers, STAR, will guarantee to set out the face value, booking fees, and any conditions attached to tickets when they sell them.

Organisers said customers buying their tickets from a STAR member would be able to purchase with confidence.

The scheme is being backed by a cross-section of the entertainment and sports industries, including the Football Association, All-England Lawn Tennis Club, London theatres and concert promoters.

Anthony Sell, chief executive of the British Tourist Authority and chairman of STAR, said too many visitors felt let down by ticket agents. The BTA would promote STAR members abroad as a reliable source of tickets, he added.