WATFORD FC need to expand their stadium capacity or risk being forced to move to a bigger site out of the borough, according to the Mayor of Watford.

The Premier League club is in “serious” talks with Watford Borough Council as it looks to add extra seats to its Vicarage Road stadium.

It can currently accommodate 21,577 fans – but proposals are being drawn up to potentially increase this to either 25,000 or 30,000.

Mayor of Watford Dorothy Thornhill, a Hornets fan herself, has been discussing this with the club about this for the last couple of years.

She said: “The current stadium hasn’t got the capacity to house a Premier League club.

“I want the club to remain in the borough so it makes perfect sense that we try and do everything we can to meet the club’s aspirations.

“We have to compete with the big boys in some way, and we are just a small town. Fans don’t want to be traipsing off to another town to see their team play.

“Where there’s a will, there’s a way. There’s a genuine desire to crack on with this as soon as a decision has been found.”

“True to Watford’s motto we will be bold and go for it.”

Plans also include building a new multi-storey car park on the old Farm Terrace Allotment site, which would also be used by staff at Watford General Hospital.

These proposals first need to go to West Hertfordshire Hospitals NHS Trust for approval, before going to Watford Borough Council’s planning committee later this year.

Mayor Thornhill, who is due to stand down in May after 16 years at the helm, added: “We’ll be mindful of neighbours and the immediate location.

“The club are going to have to put their heads together to come up with a plan which works for everyone.”