GLASTONBURY FESTIVAL - CULTURE SECRETARY SAYS ANTI-TOUT LEGISLATION IS LAST RESORT

Ticket touts can be targeted without the need to introduce new legislation, according to the culture secretary.

Andy Burnham has called on the entertainment and sporting industries to ensure that fans are able to acquire tickets to popular events without having to use expensive auction websites or illegal touts.

But while the Department of Culture, Media and Sport believes changes can be implemented without the need to introduce new laws, Mr Burnham has admitted that certain prestigious events - such as charitable concerts like Radio 1's Big Weekend as well as the Olympic Games - are of sufficient cultural importance to put in place measures preventing resale of tickets.

"Event organisers have been telling me how important it is that tickets get to real fans. I now want to see the industry find new ways of making sure that tickets get to the right people," he said on Monday.

"But there are some sporting and cultural events of such significance to the nation that we may need to prevent people from selling tickets on at a profit. We will work with the industry to find a way to achieve this on a voluntary basis."

Mr Burnham said fans are "the lifeblood of our sporting and entertainment culture" and admitted that young people hoping to attend music and sporting events were "often the most exploited".

"The re-selling of tickets at inflated prices doesn't add anything to the cultural life of the country, but instead leches off it and denies access to those who are least able to afford tickets," he continued.

"The days of turning up at the box office to buy tickets have been swept away by online ticket sales, but we have also seen a growth in the secondary market with tickets block-booked by people whose sole aim is to sell on at a profit."

Mr Burnham's comments follow recent criticism of the Glastonbury Festival ticketing system by Vince Power, head of the Mean Fiddler music promotion agency, who said forcing fans to provide photographic identification for ticket registration alienated fans and left many in the lurch and out of pocket when they were unable to sell their ticket after personal reasons prevented them from attending.