Almost half of consumers think ticket reselling sites should be banned according to a survey.

The YouGov poll found that 51% of the public do not believe the current system of ticket buying and distribution is working and that the government should intervene, while 48% think reselling sites should be banned altogether.

However, 18% said that the system does work, and that high prices simply reflect demand.

The report, compiled from interviews with 1,081 people, revealed an acceptance among the ticket-buying public that the secondary market 'will always exist', with almost half (47%) agreeing that illegal touting would grow if there was a cap on how much tickets could be sold for.

It found one in ten consumers (10%) have used ticket re-selling sites, such as Viagogo, StubHub, Get Me In! and Seatwave.

Among users of the sites, just 16% bought tickets at face value, while 22% purchased them for less than their original worth.

However 34% purchased tickets that were more than face value while one in seven (14%) bought tickets for at least double the face value.

Oliver Griffiths, of YouGov Reports, said: 'For many fans, the chance to see their favourite music artist or sports idol is one they are willing to go to great lengths to achieve - and this can often mean paying inflated prices to do so.

'However, ticket re-selling sites have increasingly been in the headlines, with the principles of those sites under the microscope.

'Our research points to a significant proportion of people that are uncomfortable with the current state of affairs but whether steps are taken in future to limit their capabilities remains to be seen.'

A number of artists including Ed Sheeran, Mumford And Sons, Radiohead and Amy Macdonald have encouraged music lovers to stop using secondary platforms.

Earlier this year the government revealed online touts are to face unlimited fines as part of a crackdown on resale websites.