I HAVE been on the Internet to try to book tickets for the Neil Diamond concert at the O2 Arena in London as a birthday present for my wife.

I was horrified to find that for a good seat I would have to pay £70 plus a booking fee of £7.75 plus postage of £2.25 and if I wanted to park my car there it would cost a further £20.

These prices also apply for the Eagles concert later this year.

The total cost for an evening's entertainment, including the cost of getting to London, would be in excess of £200.

My wife and I have seen Neil Diamond four times over the years and as much as we would like to see him again we can't justify paying out this amount.

I wonder what percentage of the takings the artist actually gets and what the booking agency and venue rake off.

How can they justify a booking fee of £7.75 for a task that must take a few minutes? Because these things are booked up months in advance they get lots of interest on your money on top.

The phrase rip-off Britain comes to mind once again.

MIKE HAILEY, Totton.