CRISIS talks over the continuing hot school meals fiasco will take place today.

Dorset County Council has called for a meeting to hold meal-supplier Chartwells Catering “to account” after days of disruption and problems.

Chartwells, which won a four-year contract to provide around 11,000 meals a day to Dorset schools, is not the only provider but it has come under fire for its service – while schools using other providers have praised the high quality of service they have received.

Headteacher of Cheselbourne Village School Bob Duffin said it was a ‘fiasco’ after food from Chartwells arrived more than an hour-and-a-half late on the first day of term. The food which eventually arrived was sandwiches rather than hot food.

Piddle Valley First School got lunches as requested but there was a shortage of equipment including plates, and meals arrived late at Greenford Primary School at Maiden Newton.

Headteacher of St Mary’s Middle School in Puddletown, Carl Winch, also criticised Chartwells for the quality of food and level of service, and said staff had to buy frozen vegetables from a local shop when none were provided.

Other schools had to go to the supermarket and one school in Bournemouth had to order takeaway pizzas for pupils.

A spokesman for the county council said around “five per cent” of its schools had suffered problems largely because one of Chartwells kitchen units in Ferndown was badly damaged by a fire in August.

She added: “Chartwells is working to ensure that a new, replacement unit will be fully operational by October half term.”

Cllr Toni Coombs, pictured left, cabinet member for education, confirmed she would be attending a meeting with the managing director of Chartwells where she will be “holding them to account for the failures in delivering the contract”.

A spokesman for Chartwells said the company had “experienced some challenges” after a fire destroyed a kitchen facility.

He added: “We completely understand the concern and inconvenience that this has caused and we have apologised to those affected.

“We are building a new local kitchen facility in order to resume our normal service.

“While this is under construction, we have taken the decision to provide those schools that were due to receive hot meals with packed lunches on a temporary basis.

“Given this change in approach, we are currently recruiting and training the additional people we need.”