A factory worker who suffers from noise-induced hearing loss as a result of working near heavy machinery has won a four-figure sum in compensation.

Paul Grain, 57, worked for an engineering firm in Sheffield for 15 years until 1988. During that time, he was exposed to excessive noise from the drilling, grinding and milling machines around him. The noise on the factory floor was so great that he and his fellow workers often had to shout in order to communicate with each other, but they were never warned of the damage that exposure to high noise levels could do to their hearing; nor were they provided with the correct ear protection equipment.

Three years ago, Mr Grain began to notice that he was having to turn up the volume on his television and failed to hear the telephone or doorbell when they rang.

As well as hearing loss, he also suffers from tinnitus, the medical term for buzzing and ringing noises in the ears, for which there is no cure.

Mr Grain now wears hearing aids a decade earlier than would have been the case without the damage to his hearing.

After bringing a personal injury claim against his former employer, Mr Grain has secured a four-figure settlement in compensation.