DOCTORS at the Royal Bolton Hospital are being told to stop prescribing unnecessary antibiotics in a bid to cut rates of a potentially fatal superbug.

Training is being given to junior doctors to ensure they only prescribe drugs when they are absolutely needed after the number of cases of the Clostridium difficile superbug rose by nearly half at the hospital.

The bug, which can cause severe diarrhoea, is only a problem when antibiotics cause an imbalance of the normal bacteria in the gut.

Dr Ron Hopkiss, medical director at the Royal Bolton Hospital, said: "This is a case of changing prescribing habits so people only get antibiotics when they really need them.

"When I was a young doctor, it was felt that infection was not a problem because you could always give antibiotics, but we now know that's wrong and that we must avoid giving people antibiotics.

"Medical staff will be monitored on infection control and their development in it."

Cases of Clostridium difficile, which is especially dangerous in the elderly, have increased from 208 in 2004 to 297 last year at the Royal Bolton Hospital.

Nationally, the number of cases of Clostridium difficile increased by 17.2 per cent, but health chiefs insist the rise at the Royal Bolton Hospital is in line with the higher numbers of patients being treated there.

They also say the rise in the number of cases is due to the hospital only just starting to collect data on the infection.

Hospital bosses have already declared war on the superbug, MRSA, which is a blood infection.

High risk patients will be treated more quickly and daily reports on MRSA outbreaks within the hospital will be given to every ward, matron and department manager to try to stop it spreading.