A weekly newspaper editor says he was “in pieces” after trying to eat a pizza containing one of the world’s hottest chillies.

Lincolnshire Free Press editor Jeremy Ransome attempted to eat the ‘Hotter than Hell’ pizza, produced by supermarket chain Morrisons in Pinchbeck, near Spalding.

The pizza featured a naga chilli, which has a Scoville rating of up to 1 million – making it 200 times spicier than Tabasco sauce, 200 times hotter than a jalapeño, and up to seven times fierier than a vindaloo.

Staff must prepare the pizzas under controlled environments and wear safety goggles, latex gloves and aprons, to shield themselves from the chillies.

The pizza tried by Jeremy and Victoria

Said Jeremy: “One bite and I was in pieces. It’s the hottest thing I’ve ever tasted. My tongue was on fire, my face was boiling and my hair was soaking wet.”

He was joined in the challenge by work experience reporter Victoria Nixon, who added: “I don’t think I will ever eat anything with chilli in it again.”

However the pair fared better than two journalists from The Argus, Brighton, who ended up in hospital after attempting an XXX Hot Chili Burger produced by a restaurant on their patch in 2014.

Assistant news editor Arron Hendy, and trainee reporter Ruari Barratt were both taken by ambulance to the Royal Sussex County Hospital after taking one bite each of the burger.