If regional newspaper journalism handed out Purple Hearts, two reporters from the Brighton Argus would be deserving recipients.

The Newsquest daily reported yesterday that assistant news editor Arron Hendy and trainee reporter Ruari Barratt both attended hospital by ambulance after taking a bite of a super-spicy burger offered by a local restaurant.

Barratt said: "It was hard to walk. I needed to drink milk to neutralise the burning, which was hard because I was hyperventilating so much my hands had seized up."