As Cornwall prepares to welcome back tourists from this weekend one hotel near Falmouth is using cutting edge technology to clean its rooms - by infusing tap water with ozone.

The Budock Vean Hotel on the Helford River is preparing to reopen for guests from July 10 and has introduced an ozone sanitisation and disinfection system as an extra level of cleaning in the wake of the pandemic.

The new Tersano ozone cleaning system infuses tap water with ozone to produce something called 'stabilized aqueous ozone', which the makers say eliminates germs and kills viruses and bacteria while having no toxins, carcinogens or chemical residue.

It works by taking oxygen from the air and turning it into ozone, which is infused into ordinary tap water.

The ozone is said to be attracted to germs, stains and bacteria, and attacks and eliminates contaminants it comes in contact with.

Only pure oxygen and water then remains after the ozone cleans and sanitises the surface.

The hotel says it will use the system on top of its normal cleaning procedures, to ensure everything is Covid safe.

In-keeping with the hotel's 'green' ethos, owner Martin Barlow hopes it will also reduce the need for single-use plastics, as the system comes with its own spray bottles and distributors that are refilled from the main tank every time they run out - as opposed to single-use bottles of deep cleaning products.

Martin said: “We cannot wait to welcome our guests back again but we need everything to be in place to make sure they and our colleagues are safe.

"We want guests to be able to relax and enjoy their precious and much needed holidays without any worries and we’ve worked incredibly hard through these lockdown months to make sure everything works like clockwork."

Falmouth Packet:

A new Budock Vean App is also being introduced, through Vamoos, in order to get rid of printed material in the rooms and suites. It gives a full digital tour of the hotel, the estate and facilities, allows bookings for breaks, meal orders and for local attractions and activities, and tours all the things to see in the area.

Martin added: "We have worked so hard for decades to make sure every area of our resort is run on the most environmentally friendly lines, from gardens and kitchens to leisure areas and house-keeping - so we’ve accelerated our investment in new sustainable technology like the ozone cleaning system and our app, which we’re very proud of.”

However, while the hotel's golf course and tennis courts are already open, its indoor pool, new outdoor hot tub and Natural Health Spa cannot open until the government gives the green light - which Martin Barlow and his team are lobbying with the rest of the leisure industry to be given the go-ahead, by putting forward plans on how it could be safely achieved.