NO FANS will be allowed at the University of Bolton Stadium for Bolton Wanderers' next two home games.

It comes as the Safety Advisory Group (SAG) issued a 'prohibition notice' following a meeting today.

The SAG which includes GMP, the ambulance service, the fire service and Bolton Council, raised concerns about Wanderers’ ability to guarantee the safety of spectators and the public.

However, the EFL says it still has hopes the games will take place "as planned" and is working with Wanderers on meeting the club's fixture obligations.

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Prior to the meeting, the club confirmed to representatives that it would not be able to commit to the conditions of its stadium safety certificate until after a scheduled appearance at the High Court tomorrow.

Following this admission, SAG members unanimously agreed that this would be too short a timeframe to put an operation in place to protect the safety of spectators for the upcoming fixtures versus Ipswich Town on Saturday (April 6) and Middlesbrough on Tuesday (April 9).

The Bolton News understands that even if the club is able to provide reassurances tomorrow, it will be too late to put plans in place for either Saturday or Tuesday and so the certificate will not be reinstated until after that date.

Bolton had scheduled the Ipswich game to be a 'community fixture' and the club has been selling tickets for £5, with a bumper crowd expected.

“We recognise that Bolton Wanderers Football Club is at the heart of our community and this is a deeply regrettable situation," a SAG spokesman said.

“We have done everything we can over recent weeks to support the club at this difficult time.

“Every effort has been made to give the club enough time to put adequate matchday operation standards in place, but regrettably the law gives us no alternative but to issue a prohibition notice.

“Safety and security remain our primary concern and while we recognise that spectators may be disappointed, we are not prepared to put the public at risk.”

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A spokesman for the EFL said: “Whilst disappointed, the EFL understands the rationale for the position taken by the SAG at this time.

"However, we still hope the fixtures will take place as planned. We will work with the Club and offer them any practical assistance that is available to us in an attempt to find a successful and timely resolution to the issue.”

The news comes at the same time as Bolton's players are on a 48-hour strike after staff wages were not paid on time for the second month in a row.

The Bolton News has approached Bolton Wanderers for a comment on the situation.