Ticket touts outside Royal Ascot to be fined

Ticket touts "harassing" racegoers outside Royal Ascot next month can be fined after a council plan was approved.

Royal Borough of Windsor and Maidenhead's (RBWM) community wardens will be able to hand out £100 penalties during the annual five-day event in June, which attracts more than 250,000 people.

The council said on Monday there was a risk of "persistent or continuing" nuisance from touts and unlicensed sellers outside Ascot Racecourse.

The annual event, which starts on 16 June, was founded by Queen Anne in 1711 and is well known as a key social occasion.

RBWM's licensing sub-committee unanimously approved the plan but said the proposed fine should be increased because touts' potential earnings could easily outweigh that. The £100 fines will be cut to £75 if they are paid within 10 days.

Its decision means a Public Spaces Protection Order (PSPO), which imposes conditions or restrictions on people in a particular area, will be introduced outside Royal Ascot, initially for three years.

There will also be a ban on "street trading, hawking, peddling or offering goods or services for sale without prior written authorisation".

Licensed sellers and charity fundraisers will be unaffected.

RBWM officers said illegal activities outside Royal Ascot have caused "harassment, alarm and distress to attendees and residents" and safety issues for "vulnerable road users and those with mobility issues."

The authority said it held a consultation between mid-December and mid-January, with 94% of those who responded supportive of its proposal.