Charity urges Manchester United to get tough with 'scumbags' allegedly posing as disabled fans to get tickets

A charity has urged Manchester United to treat allegations that tickets meant for disabled fans are being misued with "extreme severity". The club are taking action to stop "scumbag" fans who have allegedly pretended to be disabled in order to get access to away games this season. Some able-bodied fans have sat in wheelchairs in order to see a match, it is claimed.

At every away fixture the Reds are given dedicated wheelchair spaces. But, as reported in the Manchester Evening News, Chas Banks, secretary of the Manchester United Disabled Supporters' Association, delivered a scathing attack on those he claimed have abused these tickets.

At a Fans Forum meeting he said there had been "widespread misuse" of the tickets by a group of disabled fans. They have been passed to non-disabled supporters directly or via a third party in breach of the club's ticket rules.

Yesterday a club spokesman said they were working with the Manchester United Disabled Supporters' Association and introducing ID checks when issuing tickets to stamp out the practice.

Mr Banks told a meeting of the Fans Forum: "Unfortunately, this corrupt practice has spread to the point where able-bodied fans have been getting hold of wheelchair tickets. Of course, these tickets can only have come from someone who is a qualifying wheelchair Season Ticket holder. Whether they passed them on themselves, or through a third party, is hard to tell.

"But I have seen with my own eyes, evidence of these scumbags doing this, and I have the photos. To the extent of them twice having been seen watching the match, whilst sitting in a wheelchair on the wheelchair platform, and then the next game, being seen standing in the able-bodied section bouncing up and down when United