More than two-thirds of young people who regularly use MP3 players face premature hearing damage because the volume is too high, a charity warns.

The Royal National Institute for Deaf People said its findings were alarming, particularly with eight million MP3 players sold last year alone in the UK.

It accused manufacturers of failing to put clear and prominent warnings on packaging for consumers.

RNID urges MP3 player fans to invest in in-ear filters for headphones.

These cancel out background noise and reduce the need to increase volume levels.

The charity's latest research found that 72 out of 110 MP3 users tested in Brighton, Manchester and Birmingham were listening to volumes above 85 decibels.

That is noise equivalent to a loud alarm clock at close proximity.

The World Health Organization says that listening to earphones at 85 decibels or more for over an hour at a time can damage hearing.

RNID found that almost half of young people who use MP3 players listen for more than an hour a day, with a quarter listening for more than 21 hours a week.

And 58 per cent of those surveyed were unaware of any risk to their hearing from using MP3 players and 79% had never seen warnings about noise levels on the packaging of MP3 players.