THE votes of dead Chelsea fans may be used to help the club end its 106-year residence at Stamford Bridge .

Chelsea announced this week plans to buy back the pitch and stands of its historical home, which have been owned by an independent group called Chelsea Pitch Owners (CPO) since 1993.

The action, which requires a vote in favour by CPO shareholders, is a clear precursor to a move away from its only home until now - and has caused controversy among fans.

It has become clear that any of the 12,000 fans who bought one of the £100 shares yet fails to turn up to vote or appoint a proxy on October 27, will be counted as backing the plan to relinquish ownership of the ground to the club.

Among this number are likely to be CPO shareholders who cannot make the meeting because they are attending the team’s Carling Cup match at Goodison Park the previous evening.

However, given that the share issue began 18 years ago, sources say many CPO shareholders have moved house or even died since buying their stake.

One CPO with 45 years of Stamford Bridge match-going experience under his belt dismissed the proposals.

Martin Horne, 55, of Brook Green, said: "I’ll definitely vote ‘no’. I can’t see any reason to vote yes. I don’t understand why the club is doing this now: why can’t they wait until they have decided on a new ground, and then put the vote to us?"

Do you want Chelsea to stay at Stamford Bridge? Email your views to sport@trinitysouth.co.uk

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