Fake tickets warning ahead of British Grand Prix

Police in the UK have advised against fans turning up at next month's British Grand Prix without a ticket – and to be aware of counterfeits.

The warning by Northamptonshire Police came in an update on its preparations for the Formula 1 event at Silverstone Circuit, which is due to take place on July 3-6. Around 480,000 people are expected to attend the flagship UK motorsports event.

Event Commander for Northamptonshire Police, Superintendent Pete Basham, said: "I would urge people to be aware of potential counterfeit tickets being sold, particularly on social media platforms, and I would strongly advise against coming to the event if you don’t have a ticket."

At the time of writing, general admission tickets for the whole event were being sold for prices ranging from several hundred pounds to more than £2,750 per person on reseller websites, revealing the potential for counterfeiters to make significant financial gains.

Earlier this year, a company offering fake hospitality packages to the British Grand Prix was shut down.

Foresea Ltd targeted businesses by pretending to be a large-scale provider of corporate hospitality, selling packages that were later cancelled without refunds. It was connected to three other businesses – Informa Expo, Prive Global Sports and Darcella – that have also been shut down by the authorities.