THE team behind a Black Country gin distillery have turned their hand to producing vital hand sanitiser during the coronavirus pandemic.

Family-run Dr Eamers’ Emporium, whose bar is based at the Waterfront, repurposed their production at the start of the outbreak.

The team developed a hand sanitiser, which follows the World Health Organisation recommended formula, by using some of the by-products of gin distillation.

The gel was initially given out to Dr Eamers' customers, but is now being mass produced since the bar shut its door following the government lockdown measures introduced in March.

Dr Eamers' Emporium, which was founded in Netherton, supply the sanitiser to frontline organisations across the Black Country, alongside producing a quantity for general sale.

Jordan Lunn, owner of Dr Eamers’ Emporium, said: “We’ve been blown away by the response to our hand sanitiser. From the start we wanted to utilise our equipment and expertise to adapt to the current circumstances and do something to support people in our local community.

“We still make and deliver our gin, but it’s been great to be able to produce something completely different that helps people at the same time."

This week the company launched a like-for-like donation scheme, where a bottle of hand sanitiser is donated to front line organisations for every bottle purchased.

Rachael Jackson, general manager at intu Merry Hill, said: "We continue to support our community wherever possible and are incredibly proud to have local independent businesses such as Dr Eamers’, who are going out of their way to do the same by adapting to the changing circumstances and helping the local community.”

Merry Hill hosted a mobile COVID-19 testing unit at one of their car parks at the Waterfront earlier this month and is partially open for access to essential stores.