More court fines are being dodged by offenders in Sussex than almost anywhere else in the country, figures have revealed.

Statistics from the Ministry of Justice showed almost a third (32%) of fines imposed by magistrates and crown courts in the county went unpaid between April and December last year.

Only Hampshire and the Isle of Wight failed to collect a larger proportion of fines (35%) the figures from a Parliamentary written answer showed.

The news means offenders in Sussex are getting away with not paying millions of pounds worth of penalties.

In 2008 the total figure of unpaid court fines in the county was £12.7 million.

A spokesman for HM Courts Service said they were unable to publish the exact figure for unpaid penalties in Sussex for 2009 and said it could only be released through a Freedom of Information request.

A judge or magistrate can order a fine as the whole or part of a sentence for a wide range of offences, including theft, assault, drunk driving, not having motor insurance, or failing to pay a TV licence. Failure to pay penalties can result in imprisonment.

Liberal Democrats home affairs spokesman Chris Huhne said fines were pointless unless they were enforced, and called for more emphasis on preventing crime happening in the first place.

A Ministry of Justice spokesman insisted action was being taken to increase collection rates, including "tracking down" non-payers.