ROCK and pop fans snapped up 17,000 tickets on the first official day of sales for Sir Elton John's summer concert in Suffolk.The star's show at Ipswich Town's Portman Road stadium on June 16 is rapidly heading towards a sell-out.

ROCK and pop fans snapped up 17,000 tickets on the first official day of sales for Sir Elton John's summer concert in Suffolk.

The star's show at Ipswich Town's Portman Road stadium on June 16 is rapidly heading towards a sell-out.

Sales were expected to have reached 17,000 by the end of yesterday

for the 25,000-capacity concert.

The remaining tickets are not expected to be on the market for long, with a special hotline open 24 hours a day.

Prices range between £37 and £100, with 23,000 of the 25,000 tickets available for £60 or under.

It is the first time in 12 years the club has hosted a music concert at Portman Road and further events are planned for the future.

Box office bookings are being taken by leading agency The Way Ahead, which has a 100-seat call centre in Nottingham and the capacity to sell more than 300,000 tickets a day.

Tickets can be bought by calling 0871 22 00 260 or by visiting www.wayahead.com.