BOLTON North-east MP David Crausby is calling for maggots to be used to treat wounds on the NHS.

Mr Crausby has added his signature to an early day motion calling for patients with rotting flesh around wounds to be treated with sterile maggots.

Sterile maggots have already been used in the treatment of 30,000 patients in 3,300 centres across the UK and take, on average, just five days to sterilise a wound, compared to 89 days using medical techniques.

Not only does this treatment reduce the length of time patients spend in hospital and staff costs, it also reduces potential infection from the superbug, MRSA.

Mr Crausby said: "Innovative approaches such as using sterile maggots are becoming a much more accepted resource for the cleaning of wounds.

"It might not be everybody's cup of tea, but looking at the results you have to be impressed."