Ticketing touts trying to capitalise on Saturday's Last Night of the Proms are to be targeted as part of a weekend long crack down ahead of the Olympics.

Westminster Council officers, accompanied by police, will also be on the lookout for those trying to make a fast buck at the one-day cricket international between England and India on Sunday at Lords.

Plain clothes officers will patrol various locations looking for those who are selling tickets or who are offering to buy them off those who have bought them in good faith, to only hike up the prices and sell them on.

Both events are hugely popular and were sold out well in advance, although returns are sometimes available.

Ticket touts is an arrestable offence and anyone caught will be prosecuted and faces a fine of up to £1,000.

Events of this scale normally attract up to a dozen touts, sometimes trying to sell as many as a hundred tickets. Often they sell the tickets at double the price potentially making thousands of pounds.

The crackdown is also being carried out in preparation for the 2012 Olympics when touts could try ahead sell tickets for events at the Olympics.

Westminster Council’s cabinet member for Enterprise and Volunteering, Cllr Brian Connell said: “These are both wonderful events and we wholeheartedly support them but I would urge music and sports lovers not to  buy them from touts.

"Not only does this support  illegal street trading, but there is no way of knowing whether the tickets are genuine.

"They may look very like the real thing but an experienced member of staff at the venue may well be able to spot them and the customer will have lost a lot of money.”

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