Cooks in Sutton have been urged to make sure they are careful with raw chicken.

As part of food safety week, Sutton Council is urging people not to wash their chicken before they cook it.

Sarah Page, the senior environmental health officer at the council, said washing chicken can spread harmful bacteria that would be killed during cooking all over the kitchen.

She added: "It’s important that we do our part to make sure that people know to handle and cook food safely for themselves and for their families. We’re proud to be keeping people in Sutton safe and well by being part of this campaign to spread the word – and not the germs."

For more information on food hygiene visit www.food.gov.uk/chicken.