As part of its latest pharmacy investigation, the consumer charity sent undercover reporters into 42 pharmacies, supermarkets and discount stores, to attempt to buy four 16-tablet packets of regular paracetamol.

It is illegal to sell more than 100 tablets or capsules of either paracetamol or aspirin in any one retail transaction, and Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) guidelines limit sales to two packets per transaction.

"Worryingly, Poundland has a multibuy promotion, selling three 16-tablet packets of paracetamol for £1," Which? highlighted when it published its results on Saturday (February 17).

Responding to the findings, RPS president Ash Soni said the society “would like to see legislation to stop retailers offering multibuy deals on paracetamol".

"The sale of medicines brings added responsibilities to retailers, because of the potential harm if they are not taken correctly," he explained to C+D yesterday (February 22).

"This responsibility for medicines safety cannot be guaranteed merely through voluntary codes of conduct," Mr Soni added. "Those codes are being openly flouted."

"It’s time to change the law and stop retailers putting profits before patient safety."

Find out why Numark branded Poundland’s defence of its paracetamol multipack offers "completely inappropriate" here.

In 2012, the MHRA criticised Poundland's multibuy promotions on analgesics and the RPS wrote to the retailer to ask them to stop its "disgraceful sales promotions". The following year, the society called for tighter legislation on paracetamol sales.

You can read C+D's 2015 investigation into retailers breaching MHRA pain relief guidelines here.