 Schoolchildren celebrate Glasgow being awarded the games |
A bill to tackle ticket touts, street traders and unauthorised advertising at the 2014 Glasgow Commonwealth Games has been outlined at Holyrood. Glasgow City Council would also be given special powers to control traffic and to purchase land.
The legislation is likely to be in place by the end of May.
Preparations for the Games are already well under way in Glasgow, with the formation of an official organising committee, chaired by Sir Robert Smith.
To protect sponsors, unauthorised advertising and street traders in the vicinity of the sports venues would be banned. Ticket touts could face fines of up to �5,000.
Trading Standards officers would also be given powers to seize offending merchandise, cover billboards and signs and, under warrant, search premises where they suspect offences were being committed.
Sports Minister Stewart Maxwell claimed the event would help improve the nation's health and give global exposure to the country's biggest city.
But he said measures were needed to help the organisers of the Games.
He told MSPs: "The bill will protect the Games from ticket touting so that everyone in Scotland can enjoy the events at a fair price.
"The Games will be commercially attractive, but won't be cluttered by unofficial or unsuitable trading and advertising."
Mr Maxwell said it was important the Games were protected from "ambush marketing" and that powers introduced to protect the 2012 London Olympics would be copied.
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The bill will protect the Games from ticket touting so that everyone in Scotland can enjoy the events at a fair price
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