A Welsh fruit grower trying to come up with a novel entry for next week’s Chelsea Flower Show has accidentally created the hottest chilli ever recorded.

Mike Smith, from Denbighshire, declared himself “chuffed” if a little “surprised” after scientists indicated that his Dragon’s Breath chilli had eclipsed the existing American record holder by a clear margin.

Originally intended to be a thing of beauty rather than a sensory beast, the peppers measure a formidable 2.48 million on the Scoville heat scale, ahead of the 2.2 million achieved by the Carolina Reaper.