Ed Sheeran has announced tough new rules to crack down on ticket touting. 

The pop star has made the changes following widespread complaints that the resale of tickets at significantly higher prices has become a serious problem for the music industry. 

From 2022 onwards, anyone hoping to attend an Ed Sheeran concert will have to attend with the person who purchased the ticket - even if that person is not planning on attending themselves. 

Fans are advised to set up an account with Ticketmaster before they buy their ticket. 

However, there is confusion about some of these new rules, with both Ticketmaster and Ed Sheeran.com listing different restrictions regarding the purchase of tickets.

While Ticketmaster says an individual can buy up to six tickets, Sheeran’s website says only four tickets can be purchased. 

Fans are advised to keep their mobile phones handy on the day, as their ticket purchases will be linked to their mobile phone number. They will also be asked to show their original payment card, email confirmation and photo ID as well. 

Sheeran is known in the music industry for taking an aggressive stance against touts; in 2018 he cancelled more than 10,000 tickets for his Divide stadium tour after learning they had been bought by resellers. 

The tour ran between 2017 and 2019 and became the highest grossing and most attended tour in musical history. 

Sheeran’s The Mathematics tour will come to Ireland in April next year, with performances scheduled in Cork, Limerick, Dublin and Belfast. Tickets will be available for purchase from 25th September.

Main Image: Ed Sheeran, Picture by: PA Images