London, Jul 17 (IANS): Singer Ed Sheeran has hit back at touts by cancelling 10,000 tickets being sold online at rip-off prices.

Hundreds of seats for next year's gigs at Wembley were being listed on resale websites within minutes of release. Most were asking for up to eight times the 49 pounds to 88 pounds face value, but one wanted 174,000 pounds for a pair of tickets.

Such tickets are no longer valid and are being put back on official sale, reports mirror.co.uk.

Sheeran's spokesman said, "Most ­profiteering companies heeded promoters' warnings not to trade and resell tickets that would instantly be cancelled. This resulted in 90 per cent of tickets being delivered into fans' hands at the face value."

"The process of analysing sales and cancelling tickets purchased for purposes for resale will continue until the tour takes place."

Tour promoters and National Trading Standards cyber crime officials monitored purchases when tickets for his tour went on sale earlier this month.

The 26-year-old singer has spoken out against the profiteers, blasting their "hideous overpricing".

His team claimed offshore firm Viagogo was the worst offender and said any re-sales that breach new consumer rights laws would be reported to Competition and Markets Authority investigators.