Harry Potter fans warned that tickets for sold out stage show being sold for up to £3,000 a pair may be void

The script for the play Harry Potter and the Cursed Child was yesterday hailed as the fastest selling book of all time.

But fans tempted to fork out almost £3,000 for a pair of tickets to see the sold-out West End production by using re-sale websites were yesterday warned they may be void.

Thousands queued at book shops around the country on Saturday night to get their hands on the script by playwright Jack Thorne and director John Tiffany.

Sell-out: Fans tempted to fork out almost £3,000 for a pair of tickets to see the sold-out West End production by using re-sale websites were yesterday warned they may be void

It comes as resale website StubHub have listed a pair of tickets to see the two-part play at £2,999, which is nearly 50 times the cost of a £30 ticket, the cheapest available

However a spokesperson for the play warned that theatre-goers would need the credit or debit card used to purchase the ticket or the confirmation email - or would be refused entry.

It comes as resale website StubHub have listed a pair of tickets to see the two-part play at £2,999, which is nearly 50 times the cost of a £30 ticket, the cheapest available.

viagogo has listed one ticket at £1,150 to see the play this Thursday while GetMeIn are charging £825 to see the play in two parts on Thursday, November 17 and Friday, November 18 respectively.

Modern day ticket touts now use custom-built software which saturates ticketing websites with ‘buy’ requests in minutes, using hundreds of false identities and credit card numbers to buy vast numbers of seats.

However former Shadow Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport Chris Bryant, said yesterday: ‘Ticket touts add absolutely nothing to the arts in this country.

Modern day ticket touts now use custom-built software which saturates ticketing websites with ‘buy’ requests in minutes, using hundreds of false identities and credit card numbers to buy vast numbers of seats

‘Not an extra penny goes to the actors, the writers, the performers or even the people who run the venue.

‘They are just leeches sucking the blood out of fans and artists alike. It’s time we changed the law to put a stop to it.’

While Labour MP for Washington and Sunderland West Sharon Hodgson said: ‘Yet again, ticket touts are putting the dark arts into practice and ripping off genuine fans with grossly marked-up prices for one of the most sought after shows this year.

‘It is high-time the Government got their act together, especially after the publication of the Waterson Review a few months ago, and finally put fans first.’

Harry Potter and the Cursed Child is set 19 years on from where J.K Rowling’s final book Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows leaves off and follows the rollicking adventures of Albus Severus – Harry’s youngest son. 

Harry Potter and the Cursed Child is set 19 years on from where J.K Rowling’s final book Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows leaves off

Foyles bookstore said the script as the ‘fastest selling book we’ve ever sold’ while Waterstones said sales ‘had surpassed all expectations’.

But while bookstores slashed their prices by 50 per cent to £10 to attract customers, tickets to see the play at London’s Palace Theatre have soared online.

The website for Harry Potter and the Cursed Child states: ‘Tickets purchased through either of our official ticketing platforms must not be sold or advertised for sale on the internet, in newspapers or elsewhere.

‘Any ticket advertised for sale in this way will be automatically void.

‘Please note, the credit and debit card that you used to purchase your ticket, or confirmation email will be required as proof of purchase when you get to the theatre.’

A spokesperson for Harry Potter and the Cursed Child confirmed that their position on admissions was as stated on the website.

Secondary ticket sales are thought to be worth more than £1billion a year and tickets are often sold by touts at hugely inflated prices on black market websites.

In February, tickets for Adele’s UK tour were being advertised online for as much as £25,000 each.

But while bookstores slashed their prices by 50 per cent to £10 to attract customers, tickets to see the play at London’s Palace Theatre have soared online

The singer lambasted touts during one of her London shows and branded them ‘terrible people’.

J.K Rowling, who helped shape the script of Harry Potter and the Cursed Child, has confirmed that there will be no more Harry Potter stories.

Speaking at the premiere of the play on Saturday she said: ‘He goes on a very big journey during these two plays.

‘I think we’re done. This is the next generation, you know. So, I’m thrilled to see it realised so beautifully, but no, Harry is done now.’

A spokesperson for viagogo said that reselling tickets or giving tickets away was perfectly legal.

They added: ‘Sellers set the prices on viagogo and for popular events such as Harry Potter and the Cursed Child, prices can be higher because there is huge demand and limited supply. However, while a seller can list a ticket at any price he likes, it doesn’t mean the ticket will actually sell at that price. Tickets listed at silly prices rarely sell. The reality is that around half the tickets sold on viagogo are priced at or below face value.’

The Daily Mail contacted GetMeIn and StubHub for comment.