For millions of people the summer months are an ordeal of sneezing, blocked noses and gummy eyes. Nigel Burton reports on a North-East company that may have the answer.

I USED to look forward to summer. Now I just dread it. Ever since I developed hayfever and other allergies, the prospect of a summer holiday has held no appeal.

One in ten people suffer from hayfever at some time in their lives.

Growing up, I thought I was immune. My grandparents owned a farm and I spent many a happy summer playing pirates in haystacks and climbing pollen-filled trees without an allergic reaction.

Things changed when I reached my mid-20s. I remember the moment very clearly. I was strolling on the North York Moors when my nose started to itch and my body was wracked by a sneezing fit. My eyes were streaming with tears; I just couldn’t stop sneezing.

Since then, I have classed myself as a hayfever sufferer. Worse still, my symptoms have worsened as I have grown older – in the past couple of years my symptoms have haunted me for months on end.

I’m also allergic to mould spores – tiny microscopic spores, invisible to the naked eye, prevalent from August to mid-October. When mould spore season is at its height, I find it impossible to sleep because my nose is completely blocked.

Decongestants shrink the swollen lining tissues of the nose and sinuses, but one common side-effect is trouble sleeping.

Antihistamines inhibit the production of histamine, the chemical which causes the itching and inflammation, but drowsiness is a common side-effect.

SO what to do? Until this summer, I’ve resigned myself to months of discomfort and broken sleep.

But now a North-East company may have the solution.

David Watt and his wife, Lyn, run a company called Indoor Cooling, in Consett, County Durham. The firm trades as Breathing Space because it sells and distributes a product called the Airfree air steriliser.

Mr Watt, a former air conditioning filter salesman, started the company in 1994 to sell and rent portable air con units. Things changed when he was approached by Airfree.

Traditional air purifiers use filters to trap pollen drawn through them by powerful fans.

These work but the effect is only as good as the filter – and when it becomes clogged, the filter’s efficiency drops and the allergens that have been trapped re-enter the room.

The Airfree unit contains a ceramic core which is heated to more than 200 degrees. Air is drawn through the unit via natural convection.

The heat does not trap the allergens – it destroys them.

Mr Watt said: “Airfree contacted us to say they had this super air purifier and asked if we’d take it on board and start selling it.

“At the beginning, I actually said no – if I can’t see the dirt it has actually collected, then I can’t see how it can actually be doing anything. I wasn’t sold on the idea. It wasn’t until I looked into it, looked at the test reports and took the time to understand it, that I realised it was actually a very good machine.”

In fact, Mr Watt was so impressed that he immediately snapped up the UK distribution rights.

ALLERGY sufferers are used to hearing about the latest miracle cure. I’ve tried everything from homeopathic remedies to light therapy, with varying degrees of success.

Airfree is different.

For a start, it has a sheaf of official independent test results to back up its air sterilisation claims. Labs and universities in six different countries have put the device’s claims to the test – and found them to be correct.

The heat destruction process tackles virtually every nasty you’re likely to encounter. Bacteria, pollen, dust mite faeces, traffic pollution, ozone, pet dander, smoke and, of course, mould spores are all eliminated.

Another benefit is the Airfree’s cost-free maintenance schedule. There are no expensive filters to replace and one unit uses the same amount of electricity as a 50w light bulb.

Mr Watt said: “There are three rungs on the air purification ladder. At the bottom, entry level would be an ioniser. All an ioniser does is make the particles in the air heavy, so they drop down to the surface, but the particles are actually still in the room. The allergens are still there; it hasn’t filtered them out and it hasn’t destroyed them.

“The next rung is a Hepa (high efficiency particulate air filter) machine. Basically a box with a fan and a filter in it that captures particles. The upside to them is that they clean the air to a high degree and are fairly inexpensive. The downside is the fact that you have to replace the filters and the noise level from the fan.

“And then at the top rung you’ve got Airfree, which cleans the air to a far higher degree, even to the point of destroying viruses, and is totally silent.”

Mr Watt offered a unit for me to try but warned not to expect an instant fix. It usually takes two or three weeks for the allergens in a room to fall to near zero.

Maybe the effect was subliminal – or maybe the Airfree really did work immediately – but within hours of switching on, my nose had cleared and I was sleeping soundly.

And that’s the way it has been ever since the Airfree went to work. I can go home now with a stuffy nose and itchy eyes secure in the knowledge that after half-an-hour in my bedroom, the symptoms will have eased.

One unexpected, but very welcome, side-effect of the Airfree was an end to my snoring. According to my long-suffering wife, I haven’t snored once since the steriliser was plugged in.

After years of searching for a solution to my allergy misery, it seems I have discovered a cure.

Now, if only they could make a portable Airfree so I can enjoy the benefits while I’m out and about.

■ For more information, visit the Breathing Space showroom at Unit 4a, Park Road Industrial Estate, Consett, call 01207-507444, or click on this link to visit the company home page BREATHING SPACE