One Direction wage war on ticket touts as they back online petition – hours after Take That fans hit back

ONE Direction have backed an online petition to stop ticket touts – just hours after Take That fans waged war on the sellers.

The boy band have joined more than 75,000 people in an effort to stop fans being “ripped off” on concert tickets.

Sharing a link to a petition, titled: “Enforce the Consumer Rights Act to protect music, arts and sport fans from touts,” the band wrote: “Ticket touts are stopping true fans getting to shows. Make a difference. Please sign the petition today.”

They added the hashtag “#toutsout”, backing countless more fans in the fast-growing effort.

The petition states that once 100,000 people sign up, it “will be considered for debate in Parliament”.

It adds: “On a commercial scale, touting deprives the Treasury of VAT, and performance copyright holders of royalties that should be paid on the mark-ups. It also denies artistes the ability to ensure their events are priced so anyone can attend.”

Created by Adam Tudhope, it already has more than 75,000 signatures and rising.

And it comes after Take That fans hit out online this week, claiming touts had sold out ALL pre-sold tickets for their Wonderland tour dates.

Furious Twitter users branded the illegal sellers a “disgrace” for flogging the tickets at hugely inflated prices online – with some on sale for more than £800.

Gary along with his bandmates Mark Owen and Howard Donald are set to perform in their Wonderland Live tour next year, hitting the stage in a series of shows across the UK.

But despite the fact tickets weren’t on general sale until today, disgruntled fans claimed touts have bought out any that were released early.

Fans could pre-order the band’s album Wonderland on Amazon to be given an access code to the early sale at 9.30am on Thursday, with the remaining tickets going on sale at 9.30am today.

But fans claim touts had snapped them all up.

Earlier this year, a Government-backed review of the secondary ticketing market recommended stronger regulation of the market, but new legislation it yet to be enforced.

An Amazon spokesperson told us: “Everyone who purchased tickets will received an email confirmation.”

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