The record of Bhut Jolokia chilli grown in India's north-east has been threatened by the development of a new chilli in Britain which is more fiery and has a higher Scoville rating.

Bhut Jolokia is reportedly being used by the Indian army to make hand grenades to immobilize terror suspects. The Scoville scale is used to measure the heat of peppers.

It measures 1,041,427 on the Scoville scale, while the new chilli developed in Lincolnshire has a Scoville rating of 1,067,286 in tests conducted at Warwick University.

The Lincolnshire variety is named Infinity for its "never-ending" burn, which cannot be quelled by even the best antidote, milk.

Chilli-grower Woody Woods, 37, a resident of Grantham, told the media, "It is like eating red-hot coal. To grow such a burning hot chilli in our climate is unbelievable."

He and his friend Matt Simpson, 38, bred the Infinity in a greenhouse by crossing existing varieties and hope to market the seeds later this year.