A new study has advised that washing raw chicken before cooking it raises the chance of food poisoning.

The research has disclosed that an estimated three-quarters of customers who purchase whole chickens wash them, potentially spreading bacteria on to work surfaces for up to a 3ft radius.

According to data from the Food Standards Agency (FSA), about 65% of raw shop-bought chicken is infected with campylobacter, the most common identified source of food poisoning in the UK, with symptoms such as diarrhoea and stomach cramps.

Although cooking chicken in the right manner will destroy the bug, it is responsible for over 300,000 cases of food poisoning and 15,000 hospitalizations a year in England and Wales alone.

But, the research discovered that 56%of people thought salmonella was the biggest cause of food poisoning, with just 2 per cent naming campylobacter.

"Tap water won''t get rid of the germs that cause food poisoning. By washing your raw bird, you''re actually more likely to spread the germs around the kitchen," an FSA spokeswoman said. (With Inputs from Agencies)