A Diss osteomyologist has become the first clinic in East Anglia to install UVC lamps to completely disinfect its premises of coronavirus.

Nic Aldous, managing director of BackCare Clinic, in Victoria Road, splashed out almost £3,000 on two germicidal ceiling lamps, in an effort to make his clinic the most Covid-secure in the region.

The lamps, which are designed by a technology company less than two miles away in Palgrave, can kill 99.9 per cent of pathogens in a room within only four hours, and are primarily used in hospitals, making BackCare Clinic the first private clinic to own a pair.

“When lockdown first started, I thought about how I was going to make it as safe as possible for my clients,” said Mr Aldous.

“I knew about the lamps, but I didn’t know where to get one, so I rang one of my patients.”

His patient was Collen Baker, owner of Cool-Tech; a team of around half a dozen cleaning technology designers who created the lamp, before it was manufactured in China and imported into the UK.

The company, based in Forge Business Centre, has been designing environmentally-friendly cleaning solutions for larger companies, such as Dyson and Rolls Royce, since its inception in 2006, but the arrival of coronavirus has seen interest from smaller businesses, too.

“We’ve been working on cleaning solutions for over a decade, but, at the time, it wasn’t for coronavirus, it was for MRSA and Ecoli,” said Mr Baker.

“Then coronavirus came along and it fell straight into the same category.”

Mr Aldous (pictured right) added: “For us, it is a great investment in our patients’ welfare and an important component of our clinic cleansing programme.

“Clients think it’s a great idea, and it really helps put their minds at ease, and gives them confidence that they’re entering a safe and secure, Covid-19-free environment. We believe we’re the first clinic in East Anglia to be using them.

“We have all the normal PPE and sanitisers, but having this is the icing on the cake.”

Because of the strength of the UVC rays, exposure to the skin can cause adverse effects, so Mr Aldous, 67, switches them on overnight. After only four hours, 99.9 per cent of bacteria in the room is eviscerated.

Mr Baker added: “We’ve built a number of safety mechanisms into the device, such as a motion sensor, so if somebody comes into the room, it will switch off.

“This can disinfect a room without any harsh, corrosive chemicals – all in just the flick of a switch. There’s never been a greater need than there is now.”

Since the coronavirus pandemic began, researchers have been assessing the use of UVC lighting to help to eliminate the virus.

Unlike UVA and UVB light, viruses are not naturally exposed to UVC radiation as it is absorbed by the ozone layer.

Research released last month from Columbia University Irving Medical Centre in the United States suggested that UVC light will kill 90 per cent of airborne viruses – including coronavirus – in about eight minutes, 95 per cent in 11 minutes and 99.9 per cent in 25 minutes.