A CITY'S pubs and clubs have been told to turn the volume down, because of potential danger to people's hearing.

City of York Council surveyed 24 venues in an effort to determine whether noise levels were dangerous to staff.

Officers took action after finding that music was being played at more than 105 decibels in several places, the equivalent to working next to a pneumatic drill.

Adrian Watson, of the authority's safety unit, said: "Music is not often regarded as noise, so employers don't think they have anything to do in relation to staff safety. This usually means staff are working in very noisy environments with no protection for their hearing.

"Although the solution may seem an obvious one, customers are there to hear the music and so lowering levels may not be a viable answer.

"Employers need to consider other controls, such as re-positioning speakers, rotating staff to quieter areas or installing limiter devices to control the music output."

The council has provided landlords and club owners with information about how to carry out assessments and take steps to reduce sound levels.