Local MP and SNP Consumer Affairs spokesperson Patricia Gibson has welcomed UK Government moves to clamp down on ticket touts.

She said they must go further to protect consumers from being ripped off by unscrupulous secondary ticketing platforms.

New rules that came into effect last month make it an offence for online ticket touts to use computer ‘bots’ which allow them to purchase tickets from official sellers faster than members of the public. The legislation also requires ticket resellers to provide information such as the face value of the ticket, identity of the original buyer, exact seat location and any restrictions on the ticket user, such as a minimum age.

Speaking after a Westminster debate on the issue, Mrs Gibson said: “For far too long now ordinary fans have been locked out of events, or forced to purchase tickets at hugely inflated prices because ticket touts using software buy up all the tickets as soon as they go on sale.

“Many sites claiming to provide a platform for fans to sell on tickets they can no longer use, are in fact creating a demand by restricting people’s access to tickets through primary sites, and then exploiting those same fans by charging them far above the original ticket price.

“Such matters are reserved to Westminster and I’ve been pressing the UK Government to end this scourge for some time now, so I’m delighted they have taken action, but it still falls short of what is needed to protect consumers.

“While the ban on computer bots and stricter enforcement of the Consumer Rights Act, are moves to be welcomed, the rip off prices still being charged by ticket touts damages the entertainment industry and leave fans feeling ripped off.

“The UK Government must take a serious look at the feasibility of capping the ticket resale value to deter extreme profiteering at the fans’ expense.”