A regional daily reporter experienced what it was like to be deaf for a day for a feature to raise awareness about hearing problems.

Warren Manger, the health reporter at the Coventry Telegraph, decided to discover what it was like to be deaf after being contacted by the Coventry and Leamington Hearing Centre.

The experiment saw him have his ear canal flooded with a quick-setting solution which meant that he could only hear muffled noises, as though his head was underwater.

Warren, who is deaf in his left ear, then wrote about the challenges he faced while trying to work in a busy newsroom while his hearing was impaired.

He wrote that his journey back to the office had taken a little longer but was less challenging than he feared and he had managed to make a phonecall to the newsroom.

Warren wrote: “However, a reality check awaited me when I arrived at the office. A busy newsroom offers no sanctuary for the hearing impaired.

“For starters there were the cruel colleagues who delighted in mouthing wordlessly in my direction in an attempt to unsettle me.

“Then there was the small matter that whenever I focused on my computer screen, it became impossible to pick out specific sounds from the background babble.

“Several times I looked at my phone to spot a flashing red light alerting me to a missed message.

“At one point a heavy hand on my shoulder alerted me to the fact that I had been ignoring my web editor for the last five minutes.

“Though I made it through the day, it was a relief to rip the rubber cap from my ear and head home (not least because I had tickets to see Muse at the NEC).

“Of course, those living with hearing loss do not have that luxury.”

Warren also wrote about the impact of being deaf in one ear, saying it had little effect on his daily life, although he found it difficult to pinpoint where sounds come from.

His full piece can be read here.