Six people were charged on Friday over an alleged £5million online ticket scam which conned sports fans.

Terence Shepherd, 51, and Margaret Canty-Shepherd, 49, both from Blackheath, south east London, Alan Schaverien, 65, and Geert van Meel, 52, both from Surrey, Alan Scott, 55, from Essex, and Cyril Gold, 67, from Harrow Weald, north west London, are all set to appear on unconditional bail at London's Camberwell Magistrates' Court on October 15.

They face a range of fraud charges in connection with the Xclusive Tickets Limited and Xclusive Leisure & Hospitality companies.

The SFO and the Metropolitan Police began investigating after complaints from customers, both in Britain and abroad, who did not receive or get refunds for online tickets to the Olympics, UK music festivals and football matches last year.

Steve and Kay Adlington, the parents of Mansfield's double Olympic swimming champion Rebecca Adlington, lost £1,100 in attempting to buy tickets.

Shepherd, Schaverien, Scott and Gold are charged with fraudulent trading in relation to the operation of the Xclusive companies.

Shepherd and Scott are charged with fraud relating to the unauthorised sale of football tickets by the Xclusive companies.

Shepherd and van Meel are charged with fraud offences relating to the unauthorised sale of football tickets by the Online Ticket Exchange Ltd.

Shepherd and Canty-Shepherd are both accused of money laundering.

The former also faces a further charge of breaching a directors disqualification order.