Minotaur Inns, the four-strong Norfolk pub business, collapsed last month after paying back £4.2m of its £7.4m bank loan.

The Sun on Sunday investigation also found that eight more of the celebrity chef’s firms were in liquidation.

The reports come as his son, Marco Pierre White Jr made headlines for being accused of stealing nearly £200,000 worth of jewellery and cash from a friend of the chef.

Despite the reports, White recently launched an ‘ultra-casual dining concept in Somerset, under his Black & White Hospitality business, which reported plans to open five more venues by the end of the year.