Smaller fire engines may be introduced to combat problems caused by drivers who leave their vehicles blocking roads.

East Sussex Fire Service is looking at introducing a more compact vehicle that can pass through narrow streets crowded with parked cars.

The news comes after The Argus revealed that firefighters are unable to reach thousands of homes in Brighton and Hove because of inconsiderate motorists.

In the past there have been concerns that smaller vehicles would not be able to carry all the equipment needed by modern firefighters.

Billie-Jo Maynard, spokeswoman for East Sussex Fire Service, said this was now possible because some engines carry a foam solution that takes up less space than water.

The foam is already used in Hove and Seaford.

Ms Maynard said the service was talking to its main vehicle supplier, Volvo, to find an appropriate model.

New vehicles were always introduced as part of a rolling programme and if the plans went ahead, the vehicles would be introduced as older appliances were replaced.

She said: "We use the standard commercial chassis but we are looking at more compact designs and are in discussions with Volvo."

Steve Huggins, chairman of East Sussex Fire Brigades Union (FBU), said: "We have been trying to reduce the size of fire engines for a number of years as it is getting harder to get to emergencies quickly. There are some roads you just can't get down.

"With the amount of both legal and illegal parking it is getting harder to guarantee getting to incidents so we are looking at smaller fire engines."

Meanwhile, West Sussex Fire Brigade is considering ordering larger fire engines because the vehicles are cheaper to maintain.

The service has been considering buying appliances made by haulage manufacturer Scania instead of Dennis, its traditional supplier.

Gary Towson, spokesman for West Sussex Fire Service, said the needs of the county were different to those of Brighton and Hove.

He said: "Nothing has been formally decided. We don't have the same parking problems as Brighton. There are very small pockets where parking is bad but they tend to be few and far between.

"Scanias are two inches wider but they're lower and you can make them however long you want. It just comes down to what equipment you need.

"We haven't definitely decided just to buy Scanias. It is all down to a local risk assessment."

Mr Towson said officials met Dennis representatives on Wednesday to discuss options.

The fire service buys four or five engines a year at a cost of about £180,000 each.

Andy Coulson, chairman of West Sussex FBU, said: "It is much more cost effective to buy a Scania. There is a brake part on a Dennis that costs £1,600 to replace while it is £400 on a Scania.

"It does look a lot bigger but in actual fact it is only by a couple of inches. We have got very large vehicles now anyway.

"It is one of those things. We update our equipment and the vehicles have to get bigger to hold the amount of equipment we require.

"There has been talk that we will get smaller vehicles so we could respond quicker.

"If we have smaller vehicles it would mean not being able to put as many firefighters on it.

"We need a certain number of people to be sitting on that vehicle. What we don't want to see is a fast response vehicle with only two people on it."