British GP fans warned of counterfeit ticket sales

Motorsport fans have been warned about buying "potential counterfeit tickets" ahead of next month's British Grand Prix.

The advisory was made as Northamptonshire Police issued an update on its preparations for the Formula 1 event at Silverstone Circuit, which is expected to host about 480,000 people on 3-6 July.

Grandstand seating for the event has sold out, although a number of general admission tickets remain available for all four days.

The force's event commander, Supt Pete Basham, said fans should only buy tickets from official sources and not risk buying from social media platforms.

Northamptonshire Police said it would "once again be delivering a robust policing operation in the run up to and during the race event".

It said uniformed and plain-clothed police officers would be patrolling the circuit, the campsites and the surrounding road network.

There will also be specialist officers at the site, including armed officers, search teams, disruption officers and automatic number plate recognition (ANPR) units, it added.

The force will also make use of facial recognition technology, having first used the software at the 2023 race.

The technology works by using a camera to scan faces to match biometrics against those held on a watch list.

Signs and QR codes will be displayed to "clearly" mark where the live facial recognition is being used, the force added.

Supt Basham, from Northamptonshire Police, said: "We are working closely with the event organisers, other emergency services and partner agencies as the event approaches, to ensure Formula 1 fans attending the event have a safe and enjoyable experience, and that anyone looking to commit a crime doesn't succeed.

"We have many years of experience in the policing of this event. However, this doesn't mean we can afford to be complacent and detailed and rigorous planning still takes place.

"Each year brings its own challenges and the security measures in place will be as stringent as ever."

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