NIGHTSPOT revellers are putting their hearing at risk as they dance the night away.

Clubbers are being urged to take notice of a Royal National Institute for the Deaf campaign which highlights fears that high decibels could bring a hearing loss epidemic.

Hearing specialist Jim Bennie of Hindley says young people are unaware of the damage being caused to their ears as they dance the night away at local pubs and clubs.

Sound levels higher than 100 decibels are often recorded at clubs and music festivals, says Mr Bennie, who runs a business in Market Street.

Even playing music on stereos can be damaging, and listeners are warned to take regular breaks and watch for signs of hearing exhaustion.

Mr Bennie, who has studied hearing problems for the past 33 years, said: "Noise levels are in excess of the safe levels requested by industry.

"The damage may not be apparent at first. There may be a ringing in the ears for a few days but that will soon disappear.

"In the long term there could be slight hearing loss or even severe hearing impairment. Young people are not aware of what damage they are doing."

New research by the Ministry of Sound revealed nearly half of all young people aged 16-34 experienced hearing problems after exposure to loud music.

Advice to club and concert fans is to take regular breaks from music, not to stand too close to loudspeakers and to wear earplugs.

And home hi-fi enthusiasts are advised to cut down on loud music listening time.

Converted for the new archive on 14 July 2000. Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.