Sheeran fans with secondary tickets had to buy new ones

ED SHEERAN has insisted that the only people who will lose out in his war against secondary ticket-selling sites are touts – not his fans.

Those attending Sheeran’s concerts this week in Manchester have been asked to buy new face-value tickets upon arrival if theirs were purchased through secondary site Viagogo, as those would be deemed invalid.

Viagogo lets users resell tickets for more than their face value but Sheeran’s tour promoters, Kilimanjaro Live, DHP Family and AEG Presents, warned fans last July that those who had bought “unauthorised” Viagogo tickets would not be allowed entry to the concerts.

A number of fans turned up at the gigs at the Etihad Stadium on Thursday and Friday and were told to pay for tickets up front at the face value of £80, and were advised to contact Viagogo to claim a refund for their resold tickets.

Many said they could not afford the extra fee while having to wait for a refund. Sheeran, who performed at BBC Radio 1’s Big Weekend in Swansea yesterday, said his approach would “be very positive for fans in the long run”.

He said: “The only people it is going to harm in the end is the touts. I hate the idea of people paying more than face value for tickets.

“People need to take a stand and within two or three years companies like Viagogo are going to be kaput.”