Hospital bosses have held emergency talks with councillors to discuss the looming bed crisis this winter.

Managers at Eastbourne's District General Hospital have admitted it will be difficult to cope with the anticipated increase in patients during the winter months.

They said the root of the problem lies with the rising number of mainly elderly patients who no longer need hospital care but cannot be discharged as they have no one to look after them.

Normally such patients would be discharged into the care of the social services but it does not have the funds to cope with them.

Currently there are 31 such patients taking up a whole ward at the hospital.

Alan Randall, chief executive of Eastbourne Hospitals NHS Trust, believes these numbers could double in the run-up to Christmas.

He said: "We're sure the patients would rather be at home than here, but there's nothing we can do.

"Having the beds 'blocked' makes it difficult to keep waiting lists down and means patients who need operations face longer delays.

"We have had to pay for operations to be done outside normal working hours and at private hospitals, which costs more than £400,000."

Health bosses revealed the gravity of the situation to county councillors at the meeting on Monday night.

Mr Randall explained the trust had given social services £60,000 to take on the care of the patients but this had not been enough to provide the long-term help needed.

After the meeting, David Tutt, lead councillor for social services in East Sussex, said solutions had been discussed but short of a huge cash windfall there was little chance of finding a quick remedy.

He said: "All we could really do was discuss the problems and pressures we share in tackling this issue.

"Neither the trust or the council have the finances to address it.

"We are hopeful Government will provide extra money, and a lot of activity has gone into creating contingency plans to deal with the difficult situation."

Health watchdogs, including the Eastbourne, Seaford and Wealden Community Health Council, have voiced concerns about the pressure being put on waiting lists at the hospital.