Neighbourhood policing in Sussex is threatened by the planned merger with Surrey Police, it is claimed.

The multimillion pound cost of the exercise could send local tax demands through the roof.

Serious concerns about Home Secretary Charles Clarke's decision to press ahead with the merger were expressed by West Sussex County Council's joint downland area county local committee.

Chairman Christina Freeman said: "Sussex Police has been increasingly moving towards neighbourhood policing, which is a key means of increasing public reassurance.

"We want to ensure our neighbourhood teams stay in place so they really get to know their community and their community gets to know them.

"Surrey Police charges its communities a lot more than Sussex Police.

"A merger could mean as much as a 20 per cent hike in the police authority charge to our residents. This is totally unacceptable."

She said the cost of the merger would be as much as £20 million.

She said: "Add rebranding and staff reorganisation and the potential cost is enormous."

Sussex and Surrey police and their police authorities are objecting to the merger but Mr Clarke said he wants the union to happen by April 2008.