Teacher Bridget Wright began her first job in Brighton four days ago.

The 24-year-old was delighted to secure a post at Varndean School following a year's training in Manchester.

But the realities of living in Sussex are already beginning to sink in.

Having struggled to find even cheap, rented accommodation before term began, she soon realised if she ever wanted to buy her own home on her current salary she would probably have to move back north.

This is the reality faced by thousands of public sector workers across Sussex who find themselves on low wages in areas of high property prices.

Schools, hospitals and emergency services are finding it increasingly difficult to recruit and retain staff because large numbers are either moving to areas with cheaper property or finding new careers that offer better rates of pay.

House prices have risen sharply in Brighton and Hove, in particular during the past two years, with the average home costing in the region of £133,000.

Many teachers earn a maximum of £24,000 a year, while most nurses earn less.

Many cannot afford to buy houses and the private rented sector is also out of reach for most of them.

It is this problem which prompted the Government's latest scheme offering housing help to "key workers" in the public sector, such as teachers, police officers, nurses and social workers.

The scheme will offer shared ownership deals or equity-free loans to about 8,000 key workers across London and the South.

The scheme will be run by landlords selected in property hotspots including Brighton and Hove, East Sussex, Mid Sussex, Crawley and Horsham.

For example, a key worker selected for the scheme who wished to buy a £150,000 property would only have to take out an 80 per cent mortgage.

The remaining 20 per cent would either be made up through subsidised rent or via a loan to be paid back only if the property was sold.

However, once the scheme is broken up into geographical areas, the amount of money available is spread relatively thinly.

In Sussex, it means initially only 260 key workers will benefit from the scheme.

The Government is also offering £10,000 interest free loans to those who do not qualify for the first scheme, although there are only 2,000 of these one-off grants to be shared across the South.

Des Turner, MP for Brighton Kemp Town, acknowledged there was much more which needed to be done but described the scheme as a welcome start.

He said: "I wanted housing to be Labour's top priority for a second term, in particular social housing and housing for public sector workers.

"I am absolutely delighted the Government is recognising these problems. We need to do more but this is a really welcome start."

Public sector workers and union representatives also welcomed the Government's efforts to help attract and keep key workers in Sussex but had reservations about the scope of the scheme and its lasting effectiveness.

Andy Schofield, head teacher of Varndean School, said he was delighted when Bridget took up her post but recognised the reality of the situation for young teachers in her position.

He said: "Anything that can alleviate the housing problem for people like Bridget has got to be welcomed but it's only a short-term measure. It does not deal with the basic issue that people working in the public sector are underpaid.

"We don't want to lose people like Bridget but the fact is she could enjoy a much higher standard of living in Manchester and we could not blame her if she decided to move elsewhere one day."

Liz Fletcher, head teacher of Patcham High School, agreed the scheme would go some way towards helping attract and retain teachers.

She said: "The fact is that teachers' salaries are the same around the country but the cost of housing is not."

Ahmed Ramiz, of the Sussex Police Federation, also welcomed the scheme.

But, with only 25 officers across Sussex set to benefit, he described it as a "drop in the ocean".

He said: "Anything that the Government can do to help recruit and retain police offers can be applauded but this is far too little, too late.

"My other concern is the criteria they will use to decide who should benefit. How will they choose between attracting a newly-trained officer just coming into the area or keeping somebody who has already done 20 years' service here?"

He said a better option would be to bring back police rent allowance and police homes, which benefited all officers.

Mr Ramiz added: "Why would any young officer want to stay in Sussex when they could live up north and afford a bigger house and enjoy a much better standard of living?"

A spokeswoman for the Royal College of Nursing in Brighton said it was good news that a total of 102 nurses in Sussex would benefit from the scheme but there were many more who also needed help.

She said: "I'm not sure how much it will help us to recruit and retain the nurses we need. The cost of living is very high, particularly in Brighton, and nurses who want to buy their own homes are having to look further and further afield."

The problem was not helped by the fact many nurses in East Sussex were moving to West Sussex to take advantage of a bonus scheme recently introduced by the Government.

Under the scheme, nurses in West Sussex receive an extra £600 a year because the county has been identified as an expensive area to live.

Nurses in East Sussex are not eligible, despite Brighton and Hove having some of the highest property prices in the South-East.

Ian Keeber, spokesman for Brighton Health Care NHS Trust, said: "We welcome anything which is going to improve the situation. We have seen staff choosing to work in other areas because of the cost of living in Brighton and Hove.

"Now we can say to possible recruits 'Look, there is this scheme available now'. It's a good start."