Ticket touts set to be fined outside Royal Ascot

Ticket touts "harassing" racegoers outside Royal Ascot could be fined, under council plans.

The Royal Borough of Windsor and Maidenhead (RBWM) wants to give its community wardens permission to dish out £100 fines during the annual five-day event in June, which attracts more than 250,000 people.

It said it would prevent "persistent or continuing" nuisance from touts outside Ascot Racecourse, on High Street and Station Hill.

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

The council wants to be able to introduce a Public Spaces Protection Order (PSPO), which imposes conditions or restrictions on people in a particular area.

It also wants to include unauthorised "street trading, hawking, peddling or offering goods or services for sale without prior written authorisation" within that.

The £100 fines would be cut to £75 if they are paid within 10 days.

Licensed sellers and charity fundraisers would be unaffected.

RBWM said it has previously received reports of "anti-social behaviour linked to ticket touting and unauthorised selling" outside Royal Ascot.

It added: "These activities cause harassment, alarm, and distress to attendees and residents, create congestion, and raise public safety concerns, particularly 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.

The council's licensing sub-committee is due to decide the application by the end of the week following a meeting on Monday.