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Ticketmaster ‘reviewing’ Big Weekend tickets

Ticketmaster is said to be “reviewing all sales” after the BBC’s Radio 1 Big Weekend sold out in under two hours on Friday, with many complaints from locals about having no access to allocated tickets.

Two tickets per person were available, with 85 per cent of tickets allocated to people living in the local area.

The tickets were divided into three different categories, with the first pot reserved for residents of the host city of Middlesbrough, while the second pot was for those in the surrounding Tees Valley area. The final allocation was for the rest of the UK.

However, after a BBC Radio 1 spokeswoman confirmed on Friday that all tickets were sold an hour and 40 minutes after going on sale, fans took to Twitter to complain.

One fan said: “Shocking that someone who lives in Middlesbrough didn’t count for pot 1 or 2. Very disappointing.”

Another said: “I live a 10 minute drive from Stewart Park and I can’t manage to get 2 tickets?! Absolute joke man.”

According to TeessideLive, Ticketmaster has said tickets are “security printed and individually bar coded” with the lead booker’s name on them, which will be checked on entrance to the event. The ticketing giant claims it is “reviewing all tickets” and said that “any purchases that break the terms and conditions will be cancelled”.

A BBC Radio 1 spokeswomen said: “Radio 1’s Big Weekend 2019 saw unprecedented demand with 64,000 tickets selling out in just over 100 minutes. For those unable to get tickets, you can enjoy all the action via Radio 1, TV, socials and online, across the weekend.

“We will also be announcing further events as part of Radio 1’s Big Weekend in coming weeks. Tickets are only available through the official seller and anyone attempting to use tickets bought through touts or online, risks having them cancelled.”

Image: Thomas Guest