TICKETMASTER is to shut down its secondary resale sites Seatwave and Get Me In after facing criticism from fans and artists over touts taking advantage by bumping up gig prices.

Musician Ed Sheeran has banned people from attending his concerts if they bought tickets though resale sites as they were sold at inflated rates.

Ticketmaster said consumers have “become tired of seeing others snap up tickets just to resell for a profit” and that the sites “just don’t cut it anymore.”

The company will instead launch a fan-to-fan ticket exchange system, where people can buy or sell tickets through its website or app for the price originally paid or less.

Ticketmaster UK managing director Andrew Parson claimed: “Our number-one priority is to get tickets into the hands of fans so that they can go to the events they love.”

In May, action was taken against ticket resale site Viagogo for its failure to make changes to misleading pricing information on its website.

The Advertising Standards Authority said Viagogo was continuing to mislead consumers by not being upfront and clear about additional booking fees and delivery charges.

StubHub, Seatwave and Get Me In were also subject to the action against “drip pricing,” where VAT, booking and delivery fees were added at the end of the booking process.

Shadow culture secretary Tom Watson welcomed the news.