A BIG freeze has hit the Portman Road punters yet again – but this time no-one will be complaining.

Despite rising business costs, Ipswich Town have decided to keep season tickets at the same price next season. It means they have only gone up once in the last six years.

The decision comes hot on the heels of the ticketing fiasco that surrounded Town’s recently abandoned home game against Middlesbrough due to a frozen pitch, with some supporters still angry at a lack of refund and the fact that they will have to pay up to �10 to attend the rearranged match.

“It is an incredibly expensive business running a football club,” said chief executive Simon Clegg. “A lot of the costs that we incur are increasing – you look at water, gas, electricity, food costs; everything is going up. We have had to absorb the back rent issue from the IBC (Ipswich Borough Council), while we’ll be receiving significantly less television money soon too.

“That really should mean an inflationary-plus increase for every season ticket holder, but we didn’t want to pass those costs on to our supporters because we understand that peoples’ pockets are being hit.

“I have always made it clear that my priority is to protect our season ticket holders. With the cost of everything going up, I’m delighted that we’ve been able to buck that trend. We felt it was the right thing to do.”

Average attendances at Portman Road have decreased steadily over the last eight years, from 25,651 in the 2004/05 season to just 18,431 this campaign.

Season ticket renewal packs will land on peoples’ doorsteps in the middle of next week, with an introduction letter written by owner Marcus Evans.

Those that meet the early bird deadline of April 13 will again benefit from a ‘Premier Pledge’. If the Blues get promoted and a season ticket is again renewed early then 50 per cent of the money paid for 2012/13 will be returned.

In addition, this season has seen the Blues offer a 12-month interest free payment plan (as supposed to the current nine month offer), as well as introducing a new Under-20 concession in the Lower Sir Bobby Robson Stand.