Southend United Football Club’s (SUFC) plans to build a new 22,000-capacity stadium have suffered a setback, after the government called a public inquiry on the plans.

Permission to build the stadium at Foossett Farm had already been granted by both Southend Borough Council and Rochford Distict Council, but plans now face a lengthy delay as the inquiry is completed.

SUFC chair, Ron Martin, said: "Southend Borough Council together with Rochford District Council and Southend United are all singing from the same hymn sheet and therefore one wonders – other than delay – what a public inquiry will achieve.”

According to a club spokesperson, SUFC has been advised that a date for the inquiry can take around 20 weeks to set and the inquiry itself may take three or four days before a decision is made.