Overuse of antibiotics 'risks return to dark ages of life-threatening surgery'

Warning comes as report shows 3 million common surgical procedures could be hazardous if infections become resistant to antibiotics

We face a return to the dark ages of life-threatening surgery unless we can preserve the infection-killing powers of antibiotics, according to England's chief medical officer.

Dame Sally Davies made her remarks as Public Health England (PHE) published a report showing that 3 million common surgical procedures, including caesarean sections and hip replacements, could be hazardous in a future where hospital-acquired infections have become resistant to the antibiotics we have to treat them.