A BID to bring Worcester's football club back home has led to an overwhelming reaction - as council chiefs were swamped with 400 responses inside a week.

Your Worcester News can reveal how the planning application for a new stadium at Perdiswell has led to unprecedented feedback and resulted in a possible ground share at Sixways being effectively ruled out.

Among the 402 formal comments since the plans were submitted is a letter of support from Worcester Warriors chief executive Jim O'Toole, who labels the 4,419-capacity stadium an "ambitious" dream which should be realised.

The vast majority of the other comments to the city council so far are also backing the scheme.

The letter from Mr O'Toole says the Warriors, which has been embroiled in speculation over the football club sharing Sixways, has had to rule that out mainly because its pitches are used "at the same time as (City FC) require to train or play their games".

It also says Cecil Duckworth, the rugby club's multi-millionaire backer, "likes the approach and plans" for Perdiswell, wishing it "every success".

It adds that the planning application "is the best possible solution for both", and suggests the Worcester City FC owners have similar plans to build the club from the ground up similar to the rise of the Warriors, labelling a ground share "detrimental".

The letter of support could prove crucial, and follows comments from Mr O'Toole in February where he suggested the door was still open for a deal.

Rob Crean, the secretary of Worcester City FC Supporters' Trust, which has created the application, said: "We've been encouraging people all along to make comments either for or against it, that's what democracy is all about.

"I'm encouraged by both the volume of responses so far and the amount in favour and I'm also confident it will increase - it just shows how much interest the application has generated.

"There's a real appetite to bring the club home."

City has been without a home of its own since leaving St George’s Lane, the team’s home for 108 years, in 2013.

The ground has since been demolished to make way for 80 new homes, with the club currently exiled in Kidderminster.

The city council's Labour group has come out in support of the plans but it has divided opinion, with a protest group called 'Protect Perdiswell Park' knocking on more than 1,000 homes in 24 surrounding streets to claim 82 per cent are against it.

The supporters trust has collected more than 1,200 names of its own in support of it.

On the flip side, more than 800 people have signed a residents' petition against the ground, and Worcester Green Party is critical of it, while the Conservatives are sitting on the fence about the specific application apart from Councillor Gareth Jones, who wants a Sixways solution rather than Perdiswell.

There is no prospect of it coming before the council's planning committee until after May's elections.

The 400-odd responses comes despite the planning application only being open for comments since last Monday.

Among the backers are residents across the city, a junior football club called Leigh & Bransford FC, and even several dozen staff at the Highways Agency, which is based in Birmingham and appears to have supporters among its ranks.

* To view or comment on the application visit worcester.gov.uk and search for planning application P14M0176.

The consultation runs until Monday, April 6.