Southend set to hold talks with sponsor over ‘Gilbert & Rose West Stand’ name

National League side Southend plan to hold discussions with one of their sponsors over a deal which means their stadium now has a ‘Gilbert & Rose West Stand’.

The West Stand at Roots Hall has been sponsored by local estate agent Gilbert & Rose, but an unfortunate juxtaposition means its name now unwittingly includes the name of serial killer Rose West.

The matter sparked a flurry of activity on social media and, having been alerted to the unintentional reference to West, a spokesman for the club revealed they were likely to hold talks with Gilbert & Rose to “come up with different arrangement of words”.

The spokesman added: “They are a fantastic local estate agents and we look forward to working with them during this partnership, which will include a number of community projects.”

The Shrimpers are due to launch their fifth-tier campaign at home to Boreham Wood on Saturday, with tickets currently on sale to home fans in the West Stand on the club’s website.

Rose West was sentenced to life imprisonment in November 1995 for the murders of 10 young women and girls.