Four charged with touting at Wembley

Four men have been charged with ticket touting as part of a clampdown ahead of the Olympic Games.

Plainclothes officers from Operation Podium – the unit dedicated to Olympics-orientated crime – arrested nine men aged between 22 and 45 near Wembley Stadium on Saturday just before the FA Cup Final between Liverpool and Chelsea.

Police said yesterday that four of the men had been released without charge and one was cautioned. The other four were charged and will appear before magistrates later this month.

Detective Superintendent Nick Downing said: "If you buy tickets from unofficial places, you run the risk of paying over the odds for a non-existent ticket ... and risk having your personal and credit card details stolen for use in other crimes."

The maximum fine for touting tickets has been increased from £5,000 to £20,000 to coincide with the Games, which begin on 27 July.