Cambridge United Football Club has been left "flabbergasted", after its application to build a new stadium was rejected by the local authorities.

Both South Cambridgeshire District Council and Cambridge City Council planners have recommended that all nine proposed sites for a sporting village, be ruled out.

Original plans would have seen a new indoor sports hall, hockey pitches and five-a-side football pitches built as well as the 8,000-capacity ground for United, who finished 14th in the Blue Square Premier division this season.

Both authorities said that they felt there was no evidence that a facility such as that was needed.

During the non-league club's previous season, Cambridge saw a highest attendance of 3,304 people, while their average attendance was 2,236. Their current home - R Costings Abbey - has a capacity of 10,847 (4,948 seated).

"It's a setback because a lot of work has gone into this," said United chair Dave Doggett. "But we've had worse and this isn't the end of the process. "

Grosvenor projects director Ed Skeates said that Grosvenor - United's landlords at the R Costings Abbey - would still push ahead with a planning application.