The threat of repossession is hitting fewer households in Sussex as families benefit from low interest rates and early financial advice.

Figures published today by the Ministry of Justice reveal that 545 possession orders were made by county courts against home owners in the three months to the end of June.

Of these, the 250 orders granted by judges in West Sussex represented a 30% drop on the number made during the same three month period last year, while the 230 made in East Sussex represented a 25% fall.

Only Brighton and Hove recorded a year-on-year increase in possession orders - up 2% to 65.

Possession orders, made against people for failing to keep up with their mortgage payments, do not necessarily lead to eviction because homeowners are given a final chance to negotiate an agreement with their lenders.

Across England and Wales the number of possession orders made against home owners in the three month period fell by 35% to 19,123 year-on-year.

The Council of Mortgage Lenders (CML) published separate figures showing a 10% fall in the number of homes repossessed across the UK compared with the previous quarter - but a 14% increase compared with the same period last year.

The CML attributed what improvements there had been to the Bank of England's 0.5% base rate, which made the cost of borrowing relatively low, as well as early advice made available to struggling home owners.

The Government linked the fall in repossession threats to the range of measures it had introduced to help those in arrears get back on track, including free court advice and new guidance that said lenders should only apply for repossession as a last resort and should attempt to look again at whether arrangements could be made to help families meet their mortgage payments.

Housing Minister Ian Austin said: "Every repossession is a tragedy for the family concerned, but today's figures show hard-pressed homeowners that the government is on their side and providing real help so they can stay in their homes.”

Shadow Housing Minister Grant Shapps said: "Low interest rates have helped many people avoid repossession in the short term but with over 11,000 home-owners being forced to leave their home in the last three months, and unemployment on the increase, the Government's constant in-fighting is the last thing hard-pressed families need."