Radio operators working for Britain’s intelligence services were so hamstrung by the Official Secrets Act that they were unable to brief their lawyers for a damages claim, a High Court judge was told yesterday.

Three men and the widow of a fourth are suing the Attorney-General for the men’s loss of hearing after spending decades tuned in to “interesting” frequencies.

Mr Stephen Desch, QC, told Mr Justice Milmo that the men were so restricted by the Official Secrets Act that neither their lawyers nor doctors were able to be fully briefed on the nature of their work and that the court would have to use its “imagination,” aided by spy novels, to suppose what the case involved.

“A great deal of what they want to say would not jeopardise national security as such,” he said, but added that the Government had asked him to say as little as possible.

A former GCHQ (Government Communications Headquarters) building in Cheltenham, Gloucestershire. Photograph: David Jones/PA

Mr Andrew Collins, counsel for the Attorney-General, who is being sued in his capacity as head of the Government Communications Headquarters objected to the “drama” of the proceedings and accused Mr Desch of “painting something of an exaggerated picture of what goes on.”

The men, he said, were “mainly listening in to radio and receiving radio signals” and, it was important to avoid identifying where and when they had worked.

“I would be very surprised if the Russians don’t know a great deal more about these matters than I do,” Mr Desch told the court. He added that his clients were among many who had been employed “to listen to radio signals — which the makers would not wish other people to listen to. “The desired signals would frequently be found among a large number of other signals — the way that one is accustomed to ‘finding on the ordinary radio particularly outside VHF and particularly in the evening.” Many signals were “deliberately drowned” to prevent others hearing them. Their volume controls were always the highest pitch in case they missed anything.

As a result, operators were listening to relatively faint signals among a barrage of much louder ones. Over a period of years, their hearing had been impaired. All had suffered from ringing in the ears.”



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The case was settled a week later with damages of £25,000 paid to the operators.



