Council and police team up to kick out ticket touts

Ticket touts who harass fans on their way to Chelsea’s home matches will be banned from the Stamford Bridge area. Any that return within 2 hours are liable to arrest.

The UK’s first match-day exclusion zone went live last week, and will remain in place until the end of the football season.

Anyone suspected of touting tickets within half-a-mile of Chelsea Football Club’s Stamford Bridge home will be ordered to leave and not return for 24 hours. Any tout who returns before that deadline, or is caught selling a ticket, will be arrested.

Hammersmith & Fulham (H&F) Council has teamed up with the Metropolitan Police to introduce the dispersal zone after residents and fans complained about aggressive touts following people along the street. H&F is the only borough in Britain with three top-flight football teams (CFC, Fulham and QPR). If the Stamford Bridge zone is successful separate additional zones could be introduced at Craven Cottage and Loftus Road if required.

Touting can lead to a breakdown in the segregation between home and away supporters inside the ground - triggering security problems for stewards and police. The threat of violence between rival groups of touts attempting to ply their trade also raises fear among law abiding residents.

Read the rest of this item from fcbusiness.co.uk here

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