Paramedics failed to respond to enough 999 calls within the target time last year.

Figures released by the Department of Health today show Sussex Ambulance Service NHS Trust failed to hit the Government's 75 per cent target - despite a dramatic improvement on the year before.

Just under 72 per cent of Category A call-outs, those where lives are at risk, were reached within eight minutes in the year up to April 1.

Fourteen of England's 32 ambulance services managed to hit the target.

Sussex's figure compares well to previous years: In 2000-2001 it was 56.5 per cent.

Health ministers took special interest in Sussex's figures when it recorded response results which were among the worst in the England.

Chief executive David Griffiths responded by introducing new vehicles, changes in shift patterns and predictive placement of vehicles near known accident blackspots.

All frontline ambulances in Sussex were fitted with satellite navigation systems to help crews find unfamiliar addresses.

The improvements from these measures, while not featuring in the annual results, led to crews reaching 76.7 per cent of urgent calls responded to in January within the target time.

Figures for the first three months of this year were on average above the 75 per cent.

Mr Griffiths said: "The recent underlying trend is that we are meeting the guidelines. The challenge is to do it consistently each month throughout the year and improve on it.

"We will only be able to achieve, maintain and improve the response times when the required investment is put in."