Updated: CRADLE OF FILTH Frontman Dropped From 'Icon' Race After Getting Most Votes

According to Express.co.uk, vocalist Dani "Filth" Davey of British extreme metallers CRADLE OF FILTH has topped the race to be named one of the top 10 icons of the U.K.'s Suffolk county.

The Suffolk Icons site was launched by Choose Suffolk, a partnership aimed at putting the county "on the map." The organization asked people to submit their photographs of landscapes, people or products for the Suffolk Icons contest.

Filth, 37, recorded 13,025 votes, 11,806 more than the nearest rival image.

However, all the public votes now appear to have been ignored by the judges at Choose Suffolk who are instead re-staging the poll with a shortlist of only 20 approved images — and no Filth.

According to The Telegraph, Choose Suffolk spokesman Richard Ginger was unable to say why the judging panel had dropped Dani Filth from the final lineup, despite him having by far the highest number of votes

Ginger said: "Effectively the judging panel were looking for icons which had a wider currency outside the borders of Suffolk. I don't want to speak about their decision. Their remit was to look for the icons of Suffolk."

Tim Passmore, the interim chief executive of Choose Suffolk, said in a statement: "The idea of what constitutes an icon will always divide opinion and stimulate engaging debate (which was part of the project's remit).

"The finalist Icons have been selected because the judging panel believe they have a countywide resonance and are symbolic of Suffolk, and extend across the county and beyond its borders.

"As a user-generated gallery, the site was designed to engage with visitors and encourage their participation. We are encouraged this remit has been successful.

"However, while some of the images on the site may have gained a larger proportion of visitors' votes, the judging panel felt that their list of finalists displays the required credentials to act as representative iconic images of Suffolk."

In a recent online posting, Dani stated about his inclusion on the Suffolk Icons site, "I know it's a bit of a laugh and that no one really can compare to the grandeur of ducks or a disused Victorian swimming pool, but it is really an eye-opener for a lot of people who live in my county who have never heard of CRADLE OF FILTH or indeed crypt-crawling death-rock (lol!),or the absolute drivel spouted on the web page about me and mine. And for of all out there in the great cosmic beyond who haven't voted for me yet, I hereby promise that if I become Major of Ipswich, England, I'm turning it into Hallowe'en Town and you're all welcome to visit!"