People are being warned not to be conned into buying drugs over the internet which claim to counter the effects of flu after a Coppull man received potentially dangerous pills.

David Arenas paid £179 for 30 capsules of what he believed were Tamiflu after ordering them from an American online pharmacy.

The drugs were dispatched from China and have been confirmed as fake.

The 49-year-old electrician contacted Lancashire Trading Standards after noticing various spelling mistakes on the packaging and instructions.

Tests later revealed no active ingredients in any of the pills which Mr Arenas bought to protect his baby granddaughter as local chemists had sold out of Tamiflu.

Mr Arenas said: "It's disgusting that a firm can sell these as drugs. Someone could die if they take these pills believing they are Tamiflu."

Jim Potts, Lancashire's chief trading standards officer, added: "There is a massive black market in fake and stolen versions of the antiviral drug, Tamiflu, fuelled by fears of pandemic flu. Governments and health agencies around the world are stockpiling this drug so it is actually very difficult for anyone else to get hold of the genuine product.

"Criminals are making millions out of exploiting people's fears over pandemic flu by offering counterfeit drugs claiming to be Tamiflu over the internet.

"Anyone concerned about influenza should contact their GP as the ingredients of these fake capsules are unknown and should not be consumed as they may be harmful."