They have had four Top 10 hits, sold more than a million singles worldwide and turned on the Christmas lights in almost every small town in England.

But fame has not meant fortune for The Cheeky Girls, who are fighting off a host of bankruptcy claims at the Royal Courts of Justice.

HM Customs has filed papers against the pair over an unpaid £4,500 tax bill, which they must answer by 16 August.

It is the third time in just over a year that the Transylvanian twins have been hit with such an action.

Today Monica and Gabriela Irimia blamed their financial crisis on their record company, claiming Telstar owes them £2.2 million.

The pair, who live with their mother in Rye, East Sussex, say the defunct label only ever paid them £20,000 apiece and they are continually being surprised by new bills.

Gabriela, 23, said: "For two years we worked flat out thinking we would make a lot of money. But after all that we hardly have change for a drink. Everybody in the street thinks we're millionaires and imagines we lead these glamorous lives but the reality is very different."

Their mother Margaret, who is their manager and songwriter, said: "We have been shafted. The record company bosses who owe us the money are multi-millionaires. They are sitting on our royalties refusing to pay us. It is devastating for the girls to be in this situation." The girls became overnight sensations after auditioning - badly - on TV talent show Popstars: The Rivals. Their debut single Cheeky Song (Touch My Bum) was a cult hit and sold 1.2 million copies worldwide.

They signed a contract with Telstar in 2003, securing a joint advance of £40,000. But then the label, whose other acts included Craig David and Victoria Beckham, went bust.

At present, the girls' only income is from £300-a-time appearances at nightclubs and holiday camps.

Margaret said: "Bills keep emerging about which we know nothing until they are publicised in court. We have paid all our bills and we will continue to pay. We borrowed from my mother-in-law to pay a £25,000 bill last year and we have borrowed £10,000 to record a new album. We believe the girls will be successful again."