The first West End theatre mobile phone tickets went on sale today.

The Lord Of The Rings at the Theatre Royal Drury Lane is to be the first show to enable customers to buy tickets via their mobile using a credit or debit card.

Instead of a paper ticket, they receive an electronic barcode which can be displayed on their phone's screen.

When they arrive at the theatre, the screen is scanned by a reader in the foyer and a small paper receipt is printed out, allowing them to get into the performance. The phone does not even have to be switched on.

The service, which will initially be available only to customers of mobile network O2, will also offer cut-price tickets on selected nights.

"We hope this will be rolled out across the West End eventually," said Nigel Dean of O2. "We are already talking to several other theatres and I think we will see this appearing everywhere you need a ticket, from music festivals to trains. For theatre operators, it means less paperwork and no posting of tickets. It's also a lot more convenient for consumers."

Theatres hope the scheme will cut their administration costs and stop ticket touts.

Kevin Wallace, the producer of The Lord Of The Rings, said: "We're extremely excited to be the first production to sample this technology.

"It's rather fitting that Middle-earth should be the first place to use it. Buying tickets on your mobile and scanning your phone to get into the show works like magic and is a trick I think Gandalf would be proud of."

Mobile phone tickets have already been trialled at several concerts in London by Nokia and promoter LiveNation. O2 also tested them at its Wireless Festival in Hyde Park in June.