Yard smashes 'thugs' ticket scam

Scotland Yard has smashed a ticket touting ring making tens of thousands of pounds from the sale of tickets to London premiership football matches.

Police fear hooligans - already banned from grounds - use the illegal agents to buy tickets in order to cause trouble inside stadiums.

Seven ticket offices were targeted during early morning raids in central and north London. Police say the bureaus were selling tickets at vastly inflated prices and were also planning to sell World Cup tickets this summer.

An undercover surveillance operation carried out by Metropolitan police football intelligence unit, in liaison with National Criminal Intelligence Service officers uncovered the illicit trade.

Superintendent Andy Smith warned about the dangers of touts who flout the law, sell tickets at five times the face value and ruin police segregation within grounds, which can cause public disorder.

Supt Smith said: "Segregation is our primary concern because we need to keep fans apart. When people turn up at Highbury and buy a ticket from a tout they don't know which part of the ground they will be in and there can be serious trouble. People get harangued by the touts and genuine fans complain how the touts manage to get their hands on so many tickets when they can't get hold of any.

"Fans shouldn't buy tickets from these people because they are fuelling a lucrative business."

Police say £40 tickets can be sold on for £300 at Champions League and top Premier League matches. Arsenal have already banned 300 members after their tickets fell into the hands of touts. John Beattie, Arsenal Stadium Manager, said today: "This is only the tip of the iceberg. These people are making a lot of money and depriving genuine fans."

During one raid in Islington hundreds of tickets and dozens of season tickets, from Manchester United, Tottenham, Arsenal and Chelsea, were seized. It is illegal to sell football tickets above the marked price but many agencies openly advertise in shop windows, the internet and newspapers.

Arsenal and the other clubs will now trace the original owners of the tickets and they will be automatically banned from the ticket registration scheme.

Two men were arrested during the operation and have been questioned by police.

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