A ROYAL Marines veteran wants £1.3million in compensation because battle noise allegedly made him deaf.

The test case could eventually cost the Ministry of Defence billions.

Alastair Inglis insists his chronic hearing loss and tinnitus resulted from service in Afghanistan.

The 39-year-old is one of 210 vets suing over alleged deafness, his barrister Ronald Walker told London’s High Court.

But 1,700 others are consulting solicitors.

The Inglis case could set the benchmark for subsequent claims and define the MoD’s duty of care to servicemen in a war zone.

It could also end a centuries-old tradition that combat activity is immune from court action.

Outside court, Mr Inglis’s solicitor stated: “We say he was not given the right protective equipment to mitigate against noise.”

Mr Inglis, from Plymouth, was forced to leave the Marines in 2012 after 14 years because of his disability.

The MoD disputes the extent and cause of his hearing loss. The case goes ahead next month.