THE public purse must fund the £15,000 legal costs of online traders who became the first to be fined over illegal secondary ticket sales, an appeal court has ruled.

Judge Alison McKenna has criticised a team of cyber detectives hosted by North Yorkshire County Council at County Hall in Northallerton, after it tried to reverse a ruling over the costs having lost an appeal over four of the 14 £5,000 fines it levied.

The other fines the national trading standards e-crime team imposed on behalf of the council were dismissed after the First Tribunal case.

The fines had been levied on secondary ticket sellers on well known websites following mounting concerns over online resale of tickets to sporting, recreational and cultural events and the information consumers receive during such sales.

Last year, the council authorised the team to launch enforcement action against online platforms for individual breaches of the legislation, which made it illegal for operators of secondary ticketing websites to sell tickets without providing details about the original face value and restrictions on the use.

Judge McKenna concluded the council had imposed significant financial penalties on individuals and businesses by “adopting an unfair process and misrepresenting that process to the tribunal in its written submissions”.

She stated the council’s conduct of the appeal had been such “that a costs order would be appropriate to mark the strength of my concern”.

A council spokeswoman said as it had been the National eCrime team which had been tasked by Government to test existing legislation, the fine imposed by the Court of Appeal would be paid by the Government’s department for business, energy and industrial strategy.

A spokesperson for National Trading Standards said it was “disappointed” by the latest ruling, adding: “This judgment represents the first test of these measures and we are currently reviewing the detail of the judgment.

“The level of costs is £15,250.”