78 per cent of fresh chicken on sale in the UK is infected with E. Coli according to new research. Experts have stated that although the bacteria does not cause any immediate signs of illness, it can live in your gut for years and cause an increased resistance to antibiotics in future should you get ill, the Daily Mail reported.

The study’s sample was taken from every major food retailer, including the Big 4 and smaller independent shops.

80 per cent of the meat tested was farmed in the UK, and experts believe the heavy use of antibiotics in bird farming has led to the bacteria’s mutation, causing its drug resistance.

 “Drug-resistant infections are a global problem and the potential for human, animal and economic damage is devastating,” said the UK’s chief medical officer Professor Dame Sally Davies.

“Inappropriate antibiotic use in the farming sector is known to contribute to the development of drug resistant infections.”