Chilli peppers keep Chinese drivers awake

Chinese motorists are being fed hot chilli peppers by police ... in the hope it will stop them falling asleep at the wheel.

Officers in the Chongqing region of southwest China are handing out the chilli peppers from large buckets at motorway service stations.

In China it is thought that people are naturally more tired in the spring and therefore more likely to fall asleep while driving.

As a result police are even said to be forcing tired-looking drivers to eat the chillies which are believed to make people more alert.

They may make you more alert but that is no good if they are so hot they make your eyes water and you can's see where you are driving.