BOLTON Wanderers have been hit with a winding-up petition by celebrity chef Paul Heathcote over an unpaid bill of more than £100,000.

Special Catering Company and Heathcote & Co, the companies responsible for food and drink in the club’s hotel, stadium and hospitality areas, have instigated legal action to reclaim debt, now understood to be around £200,000.

A winding-up petition has been filed against the Bolton Whites Hotel – although Bolton chairman Ken Anderson claims he has now instructed his accountants to pay the remaining fee, which when cleared, should avert the need for court proceedings.

Mr Anderson has been fiercely critical of “loss-making” commercial contracts which were inherited from the previous ownership when he took over the club in a joint venture with Dean Holdsworth two-and-a-half years ago.

Wanderers confirmed on Saturday that they are seeking to end their partnership with SCC/Heathcotes & Co, which has been in place since 2013, alleging a “number of serious breaches” in their agreement.

Mr Anderson said: “We inherited an agreement which I can honestly say I do not comprehend how it was ever signed off by the previous regime.

“But fortunately we are entering the final straight and even in the worst case scenario, SCC/Heathcote’s will be gone soon and we can move on with another operator on commercial terms,” he said in a statement on the club’s official website.

Owner, Paul Heathcote, the Bolton-based Michelin-starred chef and a lifelong Wanderers supporter, employs more than 200 staff in the hotel and stadium and has made assurances there will be no loss of jobs during the dispute.

Mr Heathcote declined to comment on comments made by the Bolton Wanderers chairman yesterday, but added: “I am sure a solution can be found and would be hopeful the debt is not allowed to escalate.”

More than 25,000 supporters are expected to descend on The University of Bolton Stadium on Sunday to watch the rugby league Challenge Cup semi-finals involving St Helens, Catalans, Warrington and Leeds.

It is the first time any venue has held back-to-back matches of this kind, and both games will be broadcast live on BBC television.