The London Assembly has urged Khan to “implement a short, proactive media and social media campaign” to raise awareness, reports Noah Vickers, Local Democracy Reporter

Fake tickets for London’s New Year’s Eve fireworks display, often sold at massively inflated prices, “pose a real risk of harm” to the event’s attendees, the London Assembly has warned.

Officials at City Hall reported an “uplift” in fake ticket selling last year, and they told the assembly that this “led to crowding at barriers and delays for legitimate ticket holders”.

In a letter to Sadiq Khan on Thursday, the assembly’s oversight committee has urged the mayor to “implement a short, proactive media and social media campaign in December to warn the public (including international tourists) about the risk of fake ticket selling websites”.

The websites can appear “very convincing”, said the committee’s Conservative chair, Emma Best, adding that “fake ticket selling has the potential to damage London’s reputation with national and international tourists”.

It comes following the news that the final batch of official tickets for the event – costing between £20 and £50 – will go on sale at midday on Monday, 2nd December.

“Officials told us that fake websites are reported to Action Fraud, and that they are working closely with the police to tackle other forms of fake ticket selling,” Best wrote in her letter to the mayor.

“They also described how this year ‘a more robust ticketing system’ will be used and the tickets will look different.

“These actions are welcome and necessary, but in the context of an increasing number of incidents, it is important that the public is adequately warned and information about buying legitimate tickets (and avoiding fake tickets) is widely shared both locally, nationally and internationally.”

The committee also recommended that there “should be signage/warnings/checks for tickets at earlier hoardings on the approach to entry points, to warn people that those with no or fake tickets will not be able to enter”.

Approached for comment, a spokesperson for the mayor said: “London’s New Year’s Eve fireworks celebrations are renowned across the globe, with our spectacular display of fireworks, lighting and music getting better every year.

“This year we are enhancing security and crowd management, and work is underway to warn the public about fake tickets. This includes clear and regular messaging that will continue up until the event.

“We are very clear that anyone wishing to attend must buy their tickets in advance from Ticketmaster, the only authorised outlet.”

The committee separately suggested that City Hall “review and measure the [environmental] sustainability of the event”, though it was acknowledged that “the carbon footprint of the event stems more from the logistical set up, transportation and delivery than the fireworks themselves”.

The first batch of official tickets went on sale in October. Some ticket prices have increased, compared with last year, “to enhance security and crowd management around the event, and cover increasing costs seen across the industry”, the mayor’s team said.

Londoners will however pay £15 less on each ticket booked than those living outside of the capital – meaning that they can secure tickets for a number of viewing areas at the same price as last year.

City Hall said it is “working closely with a range of partner agencies including the Met Police, TfL, local authorities and the emergency services to deliver the event”.

Khan said earlier this week: “I’m proud that every year, the eyes of the world look to London to see how we welcome in the new year.

“Our spectacular display of fireworks, lighting and music entertains and delights Londoners and people from across the globe, boosting our economy and providing a fantastic advert for our tourism industry, as we build a better London for everyone.

“Our tickets are always in high demand, so I urge anyone wanting to attend this fantastic evening to buy them as soon as possible from our only authorised outlet.”

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