FORMER industrial workers at factories and mills in Burnley, Pendle and Rossendale have secured compensation payouts for hearing loss.

Ex-Smith & Nephew worker David Webb received an out-of-court settlement totalling £3,250 after working at the Brierfield company in 1975 and 1976.

He was a beam gaiter in one of the weaving sheds and was exposed to the noise of weaving looms, which resulted in mild hearing loss.

His representatives, WE Solictors, who had compiled medical evidence in the case, said he also worked at G Ratcliffe & Sons (Felts) Ltd of Shackleton Street, Burnley, in the 1980s and 1990s.

Another employee of carpet weavers Tunstead Needfelt, in Haslingden, was given a £1,379 payout, after a similar case, supported by the same law firm.

He worked as a latex machine operator and was exposed to a range of noises, from plant equipment to air-conditioners, compressed air devices and drills, causing mild hearing loss and tinnitus.