News – Council takes action on touts

A recent undercover operation by Westminster City Council (WCC) has resulted in the successful prosecution of two West End ticket touts. Clive Moss, trading as Albany Tickets, was ordered to pay more than £17,000 in fines and costs after admitting marking up theatre tickets by up to 500%.
Mosss activity was exposed after a number of complaints were passed to WCC by the Society of London Theatre (SOLT), which monitors complaints about touts. Last month Patrycja Szwarczynska, trading as Covent Garden Tickets Ltd, was fined £16,000 for failing to adhere to ticket resale regulations. SOLT has been working with WCC to educate tourists and theatregoers about the dangers of buying tickets from unscrupulous touts. Ticket agents and retailers are due to meet Culture Secretary, Tessa Jowell later this month to finalise the details of a code of practice for the industry.