A Bournemouth University student ripped off thousands of pounds from unsuspecting music fans on a bogus website offering tickets to festivals.

David Martins, along with Dale Frost, raked in £11,000 from the scam, taking inspiration from consumer programme Watchdog, while they were both students at Southampton Solent University, a court heard.

About 80 customers used the site, in some cases spending more than £450 on tickets for events last summer, which included Reading Festival and Isle of Wight’s Bestival.

The pair were found out after complaints to Southampton City Council trading standards.

Southampton Magistrates’ Court heard how Frost, 21, of Radcliffe Road, Southampton, and Martins, 21, of Milton Road, also in the city, set up and ran the internet site called Z Tickets between March and June last year.

Gary Lucie, prosecuting, said it was only in tiny print that it explained the “tickets” were novelty souvenirs.

He said when customers complained they were told to check the terms and conditions.

He said buyers had paid out £18,000, but the defendants had only received £11,000 as complaints started coming in and some of the transactions were stopped.

Most were reimbursed by their credit card companies but about £2,000 was not refunded.

Mr Lucie said: “They thought if they put on the website somewhere they were novelty tickets they would be all right,” said Mr Lucie.

Frost and Martins pleaded guilty to one count of using their company for fraudulent purposes, namely the advertising and selling of tickets to music festivals giving the impression they were genuine tickets when they were novelty tickets, contrary to the Fraud Act and the same charge contrary to the Companies Act.

Noel Roberts, mitigating, said it was both defendants’ first offence and they had pleaded guilty at the first opportunity.

He said the students had been thrown off their courses.

The court was told Martins had since been studying accountancy at Bournemouth University while Frost had given up his studies and was working in sales.

Mr Roberts said: “A future in finance for Mr Martins is now probably out of the question.”

Mr Roberts said the money had been spent on rent, putting down a deposit on a property and a £500 holiday each.

The pair were committed for sentencing at Southampton Crown Court next month.