Fire service workforces have been cut by a quarter in just over a decade.

The Fire Brigades Union (FBU) has shared figures for teams across the country, with West Sussex employees down by 23 per cent from 825 to 632, while in East Sussex they have decreased by 25 per cent from 734 to 552.

The figures compare staff numbers at the services, including firefighters and those in control rooms, from 2010 to 2024.

East Sussex Fire and Rescue Service said it was “committed to keeping our community safe by providing effective services”.

A spokeswoman for the service said: “We want to reassure the public that we have adapted to the changing risks of our communities while maintaining a balanced budget. Our effectiveness has been recognised as good in the most recent  His Majesty’s Inspectorate of Constabulary and Fire and Rescue Services inspection.

“Through our community risk management planning (CRMP), we assess risks and adjust our resources to our finances, maintaining a balance between prevention, protection and emergency response including positioning appliances where they are most needed to ensure attendance standards continue to be met.”

READ MORE: Brighton Grand hotel fire: Burning and smoke reported

A spokesman for West Sussex Fire and Rescue Service said: "All financial decisions are made by taking a risk-based approach to ensure that we are meeting the needs of the communities of West Sussex.

"West Sussex County Council has provided increased investment that has been used to increase the number of firefighters we have within the service and to enhance the number of fire engines that are immediately available to respond to the incidents – a strategic priority within our current CRMP.

“Our CRMP also sets out our commitment to taking a risk-based review of our specialist capability and asset requirements to ensure they are fit for purpose, both now and for the future.

"Here in West Sussex our response times are also consistently above target and this is reviewed on a quarterly basis by the county council's fire and rescue scrutiny committee.”

Matt Wrack, FBU general secretary, said: "Fourteen years of austerity have devastated the fire and rescue service. Every region has been hit, with 12,000 firefighters lost to cuts across the UK."

"To protect the public, Labour must invest in the fire and rescue service as a matter of urgency."