Paul McCartney has called on China to ban wet markets as the world continues to grapple with the deadly coronavirus pandemic.

'Wet markets', which sell freshly-slaughtered animals, are commonplace in China and are controversial because they have questionable hygienic standards.

The exact origin of the current outbreak of COVID-19 is yet to be confirmed but it is thought to originate at a wet market in Wuhan, China, with suggestions that it could have started with someone eating a bat.

The rapid spread of the virus has caused chaos around the globe and resulted in more than 125,000 people losing their lives to date.

Asked about the Chinese practice of wet markets, Beatles legend McCartney told The Howard Stern Show: "They might as well be letting off atomic bombs because it's affecting the whole world. Whoever is responsible for this is at war with the world and itself.

"I really hope that this will mean the Chinese government says, 'Ok guys, we have really got to get super hygienic around here'.

"Let's face it, it is a little bit medieval eating bats. They don't need all the people dying. And what's it for? All these medieval practices. They just need to clean up their act. This may lead to it. If this doesn't, I don't know what will."

Despite the increasing severity of the pandemic, the Chinese government began to reopen wet markets around the country earlier this month.