Sore throat lozenges make little difference to symptoms and sufferers are better off taking paracetamol, according to new NHS advice.

GPs are also being urged to stop doling out antibiotics for sore throats, as they will not help most cases and are fuelling antibiotic resistance.

The National Institute of Health and Care Excellence (Nice) said too many patients were being prescribed antibiotics, when they were suffering from a virus which the drugs cannot treat.

Research shows six in ten patients visiting their GP with a sore throat are being prescribed the drugs.

Instead, patients should take paracetamol or ibuprofen for pain relief, the new advice says.

And it suggested there was little point taking medicated lozenges sold by pharmacies across the country, saying patients “should be told that the benefit is likely to be small”.

The evidence review by Nice and Public Health England found some evidence that tablets containing a local anaesthetic, non steroid anti-inflammatory drug or an antiseptic made a difference to pain levels, but only small improvements were found.