Chelsea announced yesterday they have sacked a player who let off a smoke grenade at their training ground.

The Blues said they had “parted company” with 21-year-old Jacob Mellis, who played once for the first team, following a “full and thorough” investigation into the incident on March 2.

Mellis’s team-mate, Billy Clifford, escaped with a fine after admitting to bringing the grenade into Chelsea’s training ground in Cobham, south of London.

Clifford, 19, is a regular in Chelsea’s reserves and signed a new four-year deal last year.

Mellis, 21, joined Chelsea from Sheffield United five years ago and made his debut in the Champions League win against Zilina in 2010.

In setting off the grenade in the reserves’ dressing room, Mellis triggered a full-scale evacuation procedure, with players and staff rushing from the building because of thick smoke.