Roman's softy army

Roman Abramovich and his Russian friends may hail from the barren wastes of Siberia, where temperatures can fall as low as -35C, but it seems they have been defeated by the British winter.

Rather than wrap up in a team scarf and bobble hat, as your average fan does when the weather gets particularly parky, Chelsea's billionaire owner has fitted outdoor heaters at Stamford Bridge.

Chelsea have become the first club in Britain to install the heaters - more normally associated with pub gardens and outside restaurants, raising the temperature by 8F.

The club has suspended 10 of the gigantic electric heaters from the roof of its 13,500-seater West Stand - home to the VIP corporate suites, and where Mr Abramovich likes to entertain his friends and wife Irina.

Chelsea may now install the heaters throughout the 42,522-seater stadium.

A spokesman for the club said: "The heaters have been installed as a trial and we are looking to see if they are feasible in all the stands. They are there as an added benefit for our season ticket and box holders."

The club, which announced record losses on Monday, would not say how much they had paid for the heaters.

They will, however, reinforce the image of the new breed of Chelsea fans as middle-class suburbanites from Surrey.

A recent report by Premiership sponsor Barclays found the modern Blues fans spends more on beauty products and fashion, DIY, gardening and mobile phones than any other premiership supporter.

According to one club insider, the West Stand heaters have not pleased everyone. "It's only benefiting the prawn sandwich brigade. A die-hard Blues fan wouldn't be seen dead in the West Stand," he said.

The heaters make the West Stand probably the most luxurious in Britain - if not in Europe.

It cost ?30million to build, more than some football grounds, and its upper tier can seat 600 people in the Executive and Millennium corporate suites.

Not even the new Wembley stadium's Royal Box will offer anything like the kind of protection against the elements that Mr Abramovich and his guests enjoy. "We want people who come here to have as genuine an experience as possible," said a Wembley spokesman. "The outdoor areas will be proper outdoor areas."

The Football Supporters' Federation (FSF) said Chelsea should have cut ticket prices and improved views rather than install heating.

Steve Powell, the FSF's national development officer, said: "Chelsea have other priorities - the sight lines at Stamford Bridge are awful. If you sit in the front rows you can only see players' kneecaps and the dug-outs obstruct about a third of the pitch for supporters sitting behind them.

"They also need to reduce ticket prices - ?40 is still too rich for many fans' blood."

Mr Powell added that clubs should consult their fans before making such decisions. Clubs have to involve their fans - some might prefer the money to go on a new centre forward rather than central heating."

While Chelsea have scored a British first, PSV Eindhoven suspended huge gas heaters at its 36,000-seater Philips stadium when the ground was redeveloped in the Seventies.