Ambulance crews are becoming increasingly likley to be the victim of an assault Sussex Ambulance Service says.

The service says its 999 crews are now abused, threatened or attacked in one in 100 call-outs.

There were more than 120 reported incidents in the six months to March, up 10 per cent on the same period in the previous year.

Incidents include threats of violence, physical assaults and threats with knives.

Ambulance bosses have a policy of zero tolerance towards attacks on staff and warn that they will prosecute.

Community liaison officer John Layhe said: "Crews are doing their job trying to help people. What they don't need is to be confronted with abuse.

"It is something we do not tolerate and will take action against the individuals involved.

"We have found that in the vast majority of cases the people causing the problems are drunk.

"It makes it much more difficult for crews to cope although they are given special training .

"I don't think the numbers are enormous compared to other ambulance services but as far as we are concerned, it is still happening too often."

Mr Layhe said the real figure was probably even higher because many cases, especially of verbal abuse, went unreported.

He said: "We can't be certain whether the figures are going up because there are more incidents or whether staff are reporting cases more often.

"We do encourage people to make the reports so we can learn from them and try to make sure they do not happen again."

In February 2001 an ambulance crew member was hurt when her vehicle was attacked by a drunken mob.

The woman fell and twisted her back as the ambulance was rocked violently by the gang in Butts Road, Southwick.

And in 1999 two ambulance men were attacked by a gang of youths as they tried to help an unconscious teenager in Furnace Green, Crawley.

One suffered a fractured nose and was hit over the head with a bottle and another was punched and kicked as he went to help his colleague.