Blue Peter calls time on badge winners' perks

LONDON - BBC children's show 'Blue Peter' is to announce on this evening's programme that it plans to suspend free entry for badge holders to visitor attractions across the UK, following a large number of the famous ship motif badges being touted on eBay.

The system, which currently allows holders free access to more than 200 UK attractions, will be temporarily suspended until 'Blue Peter' is able to put a secure structure in place to stop people who have purchased the badges, rather than earning them, from using them to gain free access to museums, stately homes and exhibitions.

The programme is currently looking at a number of options for this.

According to Richard Marson, 'Blue Peter''s editor at the BBC, the programme has a responsibility to the children who earned their badges and to the partners on its visitor list.

He said: "This is a sad but necessary short-term step to safeguard the future of the Blue Peter scheme and to protect children who have earned their badges and who are feeling very let down by this cynical trade.

"We are doing our best to get the system back up and running as soon as possible and we will be working closely with our partners on the list in the meantime."

Today's 'Blue Peter' is on BBC One at 5pm.

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