Experts are reminding the public that antiobiotics will not help people recover from mild winter illnesses such as coughs and colds.

As part of European Antibiotics Awareness Day today, doctors at Norfolk County Council say avoidable or unnecessary use of antibiotics may make people resistant to the drugs, which won't help their health in the long-term.

Dr Boaventura Rodrigues, a consultant in Public Health Medicine, said 'The more we use antibiotics, the more chance there is of developing resistance to them and this makes treating bacterial infections much more difficult.

'We should only use antibiotics when absolutely necessary.'

Antibiotic resistance is one of the biggest threats for patients today.

Without effective antibiotics many routine treatments become increasingly dangerous.

Setting broken bones, basic operations, even chemotherapy, all rely on access to antibiotics that work.

Dr Louise Smith, director of Public Health, said: 'If your doctor does not prescribe you antibiotics, it means they wouldn't help make you better.

'However, it is important to remember that if you are prescribed antibiotics make sure you take them as directed and finish the course so that they work as well as possible, both now and in the future '