Bid to change the law for Rugby World Cup ticket touts

The law needs to be changed to stop ticket touts overcharging fans ahead of the Rugby World Cup, an MP has said.

Nick Smith wants the UK government to give next year's tournament, which includes games at Cardiff's Millennium Stadium, the same protection from touts that was given to London 2012.

The MP for Blaenau Gwent is introducing his own bill at Westminster on Tuesday.

New technology means large numbers of tickets are bought instantly and then resold to fans at higher prices.

Top price tickets will cost in the region of £315, but secondary ticketing sites have already advertised unreleased tickets for more than five times that.

Mr Smith wants the UK government to designate the tournament as an event of national significance, similar to the London Olympics, with a legal limit on resale prices.

Tickets seller Viagogo said: "We believe that once you've bought something, whether that's a house, a car, or a ticket, it's up to you what you do with it and 90% of Brits agree with us.

"Introducing legislation around ticket resale, such as price caps, would just discourage people from using safe, secure and guaranteed marketplaces.

"It would simply drive them back to buying and selling tickets through classified ads or on the street, where legislation is unenforceable."