MACCLESFIELD have been wound up after a judge was told the football club owe more than £500,000.

Judge Sebastian Prentis made a winding up order at a virtual hearing in the specialist Insolvency and Companies Court today.

He was told the club owe nearly £190,000 in tax and more than £170,000 to two other creditors.

Lawyers representing HM Revenue and Customs had applied for a winding up order.

The judge said he could see nothing which gave him “any comfort” that the club can pay the debts.

He was overseeing the latest in a series of hearings.

Macclesfield have recently been relegated from the fourth tier of league football into non-league football.

They were relegated after being docked points for breaches of regulations relating to non-payment of wages which dropped them to the bottom of League Two.

But Judge Prentis has adjourned a bid to wind up Southend in the hope that bosses at the Sky Bet League Two club can clear tax debts.

Bosses at HM Revenue and Customs had applied for a winding-up petition.

But a lawyer representing tax officials said debts had been reduced and asked the judge to adjourn the application to give bosses time to pay.

The case is expected to be reconsidered in a few weeks.