Bad council drivers are costing taxpayers a small fortune, a new report has revealed.

It says East Sussex County Council has failed to address the need to improve the driving skills of employees who drive lease cars or vans.

Over five years from 1995 and 1999, insurance claims involving council drivers totalled almost £1 million.

The cost was met in total by the county council, which has only third party insurance cover.

The costs associated with injuries, lost time from work, vehicle hire and insurance premiums were not included in this figure.

Between January 1998 and December 2000, there were 894 claims totalling £434,000.

The report states: "A large proportion of these claims are from a core group of 34 drivers who have had between four and nine claims during this period and can be considered as both high-risk and costly drivers."

Work by the Road Safety Education Team had helped reduce the bill and it was hoped it could be brought down further to £40,000 a year.

Now there are calls for drivers to be given "Awareness Training" on both a voluntary basis and after drivers had been involved in crashes.

There was also concern that some drivers had been fined for speeding.