A member of staff at Charlton Athletic had to ask HR for permission to eat a packet of crisps at their desk as part of the extraordinary cost-cutting measures under owner Roland Duchatelet.

Administrative staff at the troubled club have been pushed to breaking point and morale among employees has reached an all-time low.

Duchatelet, who took control of the club in January 2014, is desperate to reduce operating losses while he looks to sell Charlton and, as part of the cutbacks, the working hours of cleaners at The Valley have been reduced.

Staff have been told they cannot eat lunch at their desk to keep offices tidy. It is understood one staff member wanted to eat a packet of crisps at their desk and their line manager rang HR to check if that was allowed. HR then informed them they needed to ring the facilities department.

Staff have had to hold meetings in the dark to save money on the electricity bill. One former staff member was told they could switch on only one light above their desk and no other lights in their office.

The club has also sealed up paper towel dispensers in staff toilets at The Valley. Academy players, meanwhile, are no longer provided with bottled water — though they are given refillable bottles — or breakfast at the club’s training ground in New Eltham.

The situation at Charlton reached a new low on Wednesday, when administrative staff were told they will not be paid bonuses they say were promised to them by Duchatelet.

Staff say they were due an extra 10 per cent of their salaries if performance-related targets were met. Duchatelet, however, emailed them yesterday to inform them they would not receive the bonuses because the club had endured a bad year financially. Charlton are thought to be losing £10million a year.

Staff have written an open letter to Duchatelet to express their “extreme disappointment” at what they describe as “severely unfair treatment”. They have taken legal advice and feel they have a strong case and are optimistic they will receive the money.

Staff have said they will continue to work their contracted hours, despite their despondency at the situation.

Charlton’s plight was described this week as “utterly shambolic” by Greenwich and Woolwich MP Matthew Pennycook. The EFL, meanwhile, say they are aware of the situation at the club but are yet to comment publicly.

Duchatelet confirmed last December he was looking to sell. He has been in talks with an Australian consortium for months but a deal is still not finalised.

The Belgian wrote: “If you have further ideas on where we should review our efficiencies then let your line manager know.”

In response to the revelations, a Charlton spokesman told Standard Sport: “The club is undergoing a review to reduce running costs. This is to make costs more bearable for any potential new owner.

“The club provides fresh water at the training ground, the first team have refillable bottles as do the U23s and U18s. The club looked at the spend on plastic water bottles as part of a current cost analysis process.

“In the stadium we replaced paper towels with hand dryers. This has the advantage of not needing to be refilled and takes away waste removal.”