CONCERT-GOERS were refused entry to a gig at Exmouth Pavilion because of counterfeit tickets.

Leisure East Devon, who manage the venue, say an event, called The Big Gig, was marred by the circulation of such tickets which resulted in more people seeking entry than the venue was licensed to accommodate.

This left the authority with no alternative other than to refuse admission to people at the event, held last Friday, January 28, as safety limits were reached.

It is the third time Exmouth Pavilion has played host to The Big Gig which involves young, local talent from the community performing live on stage to a packed audience.

Peter Gilpin, chief executive of Leisure East Devon, said: “Quite clearly, LED’s priority was to protect the safety of those already inside.

“Safety limits exist for good reasons and to exceed them would have been both illegal and foolhardy.

“I can appreciate that those denied access would have been frustrated and angry, and they have my sympathy.”

The event has grown in popularity over the three years it has been held.

A meeting took place on Monday, January 24 between with the organisers and LED where it was established the original seating plan had already sold out.

LED agreed to change the layout of the event to a standing-only concert to increase capacity and enable the organisers to sell more tickets.

It said unfortunately, on this occasion, the gig was marred by the circulation of counterfeit tickets resulting in more people seeking entry.

As a consequence, a number of people including legitimate ticket holders were denied entry.

Mr Gilpin added: “Hopefully with hindsight, they will appreciate that we were not prepared to risk their safety and that of those already inside by over-crowding.

“On a positive note, those that did attend the non-alcoholic evening were well behaved and enjoyed a fantastic range of entertainment that was a credit to local talent.

“The Pavilion Manager has since met with the promoters, who sold and managed the tickets for the event, to review the problems encountered and has put in place procedures to help prevent a reoccurrence of this unfortunate scenario at next year’s gig.”