Newborn children in Bradford are among the first in the country to have hearing tests as part of a scheme to detect and treat problems early.

A new screening programme has started at Bradford Royal Infirmary to identify babies with permanent hearing impairments.

Parents will be offered the chance to have the test, which involves putting a soft tipped ear piece in the outer part of the baby's ear and playing quiet clicking sounds.

Pauline Beesley, audiology services manager for Bradford Hospitals Trust, said the procedure was quick, safe and could be done at the mother's bedside while the baby was asleep.

"Identifying a hearing impairment as early as possible can help the baby with communication and social development from a very early age," she said.

"In addition, early detection enables help, support and advice to be given to the baby's family to help minimise the effects of hearing impairment."

The hospital is one of 20 pilot sites to test the scheme and, if successful, will be introduced at other sites, including Airedale.

A recent study in America showed that by tackling problems early, children develop vocabulary within the normal range in the first three years of life.

The National Deaf Children's Society welcomed the tests, which check the cochlea's response to sounds and analyse the results with a computer.

A spokesman said: "We have spearheaded the campaign for the introduction of Universal Newborn Hearing Screening and are delighted this is now available to all new parents in Bradford.

"On average, 840 children are born deaf in the UK each year, and yet present services will fail to diagnose half these children as deaf by 18 months of age and a further quarter by three and a half.

"Screening all babies at birth with a quick and painless test will result in deaf children being diagnosed earlier, resulting in a huge and positive impact on their social and educational development.

Last year, a new centre to support deaf babies and children was launched in Bradford. The city is also one of the national centres for cochlea implant surgery and more than 200 children and adults have benefited from the hi-tech procedure.