A MAJOR poster campaign is set to hit the streets of Morecambe and Lancaster stressing the dangers of paracetamol overdoses.

Shops, pharmacies, surgeries and health centres will be displaying alarming figures about the number of people taken to hospital after poisoning themselves with the painkiller.

Steve Mann, chairman of the Accident Prevention Partnership, said: "A key message of the campaign is that paracetamol should not be used as a cry for help. People may not suffer any ill effects straight away but unless an antidote is given within six hours they could die from liver failure."

A spokesman for Morecambe Bay Health Authority said if used correctly paracetamol is safe.

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