Staff at a famous Sussex auction house were today waiting to hear if they would be hit by job losses.

Sotheby's, which employs 100 people at its Billingshurst sale room, last night warned it would be shedding 150 jobs worldwide.

But the firm said it could not yet say where the axe would fall among its international 2,000-strong workforce.

Staff have been unsure of their futures and the statement was issued just hours after we inquired about the future of the Sussex operation, based at Summers Place.

A spokesman at Billingshurst, which holds one or two auctions a week, said: "I am not entirely sure of the situation. Nobody is."

Chris Proudlove, senior director of the company, said there was no danger Summers Place would close in the foreseeable future.

He said: "It's business as usual at Billingshurst. There is a full calendar for the year."

Sotheby's has recently been rocked by claims that it fixed commission prices with its main rival, Christie's, resulting in legal action in America.

In November, the firm announced a net loss of £129.4 million for the third quarter of 2000, compared with £19.8 million for the same period in 1999.

The company, founded in 1744, has also invested £40 million in its internet site, which has yet to make a profit.