A firm of Belfast solicitors is handling about 300 cases.

The claimants said they were offered no ear protection during firearms exercises.

Solicitor Cormac Keenan said the problem should have been avoided as it had been known for years that excessive noise causes long-term hearing damage.

He said: "With a little bit of thought the problems that these men and women are having now would have been reduced or taken away entirely.

"It would not have been an expensive programme to put in place much earlier."

Mr Keenan said there was little thought given to protecting the hearing of army and police personnel during the 1970s and into 1980s.

However, army personnel are only allowed to sue for damage caused after 1987, the date when the bar on soldiers bringing cases against it was lifted.

Mr Keenan said that regular army units were quicker to adopt safety measures such as ear protection than non-regular units such as the UDR (Ulster Defence Regiment).

A PSNI spokesman said he was aware of the cases and a Ministry of Defence spokesperson said it would be inappropriate to comment while possible litigation was pending.

From BBC News