by political editor Paul Francis

Empty Olympic VIP seats not taken within 30 minutes of a session
starting should be offered to the public, says a Kent MP.

Folkestone and Hythe MP Damian Collins, who is a member of the backbench
culture, media and sports committee, said it was frustrating to see
swathes of empty seats at some Olympic venues.

The sight of unfilled seats in so-called accredited areas has sparked
complaints from many members of the public who failed to secure tickets
through the ballot process.

The MP said he sympathised with those who were angered by the sight of
empty seats: "It is disappointing. The problem is that these are seats that are given to sports bodies around the world - they are never tickets that LOCOG
had in their possession.

"The best thing that we can do is find a way of giving them to the public and that does seem to be what LOCOG is trying to do," he said.

"It does seem a really good idea to allocate them within a time limit
and to put pressure on those that hold them - these are often the best
seats in the house and we have to find a way to get hold of them."

The availibility of extra tickets would be an added incentive to those
who had secured tickets just to the Olympic park, he added.

Organisers of the games have reclaimed 3,000 tickets today from
officials who are unlikely to use them, and have sold them to the public.

Olympics minister and Kent MP Hugh Robertson said he was surprised to
have seen venues that were not full.

What do you think? Should unused Olympic tickets be sold on to the public? Join the debate below.