Cop clampdown as Wimbledon touts send tickets soaring to £14,000

A clampdown on black market tickets for Wimbledon has been launched by British police, as passes for games are believed to be changing hands for as much as £14,000.

Wimbledon is not classed as a designated sporting event, which allows touts to buy and sell without being prosecuted.

According to reports, debenture tickets are being sold with £10,000 mark-ups each.

“The debentures are a huge money earner for the professional touts, as the tournament progresses, that is where the money is being made,” Sky News quoted Phil Davies, Police Sergeant, as saying.

“If it is a predictable final, the prices can start dropping, but, if you’ve got an unlikely hero, the opposite happens. Andy Murray tickets will bump up the prices by up to 200 percent.”

“One couple last year paid £14,000 each for Murray’s semi-final. They only stayed for a couple of hours,” he added.

Police are using dispersal powers and anti-social legislation in an attempt to keep the touts under control.

Meanwhile, talking about the issue, one of the touts, who asked to be identified only as Ray, said: “I have just got a job to do. I’m not a criminal or a paedophile - I just do tickets at Wimbledon.”

“The police stop us from working - it’s a headache every 10 minutes. I sell and buy debenture tickets, that’s all. I’m not a crook. I have to have a lawyer because I have to know the law,” he added.