While the coaches and playing group have continued to train, the non-playing staff have been told not to come into work.

It is understood the club's bank accounts have also been frozen.

On Monday, co-owners Jason Whittingham and Colin Goldring released a statement saying they were "working through a number of options with our advisors", adding "these include solutions for keeping rugby at Sixways".

It is thought club staff have had little direct dialogue with the owners, and only saw the statement shortly before it was released.

Sources have also told the BBC their wages have been paid sporadically for the past few months, and that they are not expecting to receive their wages on time next week.

One source said players and staff had been "in limbo for a week" and were "in the dark" over what happens next.

The role of director of rugby Steve Diamond is said to have been crucial in keeping the squad united, with many players posting on their social media accounts this week with the hashtag "TOGETHER".

Meanwhile a number of parties have declared their interest in buying the struggling club, including a consortium led by former Warriors chief executive Jim O'Toole.

But whether all the club's assets are available to a prospective buyer is another point of concern, with BBC Hereford and Worcester reporting some of the areas around Sixways were sold off last week by the owners to another business owned by them, Mq Property Ltd.

As well as the money owed to HMRC, Worcester were also given a £14m loan by the Department for Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) during the Covid pandemic.

Worcester are due to start the Premiership season away to London Irish on Saturday, 10 September, but have a pre-season friendly against Glasgow in Inverness on Friday, 2 September. As it stands, they will struggle to fulfil that fixture.

Premiership Rugby continues to work through contingency plans in case the Warriors are unable to take their place in the league for the 2022-23 season, but a league spokesman said they were reluctant to impose a deadline on the beleaguered club.

If Worcester enter administration, Rugby Football Union regulations state they will receive a 35-point penalty, although there is no relegation from the Premiership to the Championship in the forthcoming campaign.