A record number of tickets were sold for this year's Edinburgh Festival Fringe, according to organisers.

The annual arts festival sold a whopping 1.7 million tickets, up by a healthy 10 per cent on 2006.

Bumper sales were reported throughout the majority of Fringe venues, with Underbelly, Pleasance, Gilded Balloon, The Stand and T on the Fringe reporting record sales.

The Fringe e-Ticket Tent saw an incredible increase of 40 per cent on 2006, while the Half-Price Hut went up 47 per cent in use.

This year has seen criticism over the growth of the Fringe and the quality of the acts on show.

But Fringe director Jon Morgan defended the festival’s rapid expansion.

He said: “Ultimately the Fringe is a self regulating festival. If audiences and artists continue to come to Edinburgh the festival will continue to grow, with 2007 being a good example of that.

"To suggest I should have control over the size of an open access festival is wrong, and against the principles of the Fringe."

Australian comedian Brendon Burns won the festival's top comedy prize, the if.comedy award.

The 38-year-old landed the £8,000 prize for his show So I Suppose This Is Offensive Now.

Also shortlised for the award were comedian Andrew Lawrence, comedy troupe Pappy's Fun Club and Ivan Brackenbury's Hospital Radio Roadshow and Irish stand-up Andrew Maxwell.

Awards producer Nica Burns said: "The controversial Brendon Burns' edgy and dangerous show has taken him from Edinburgh regular to this fantastic win."

The if.comedy award was formerly known as the Perrier award.