Emergency ambulances are sent out to help drunk people in Sussex in every one hour-and-20 minute spell, shocking new figures show.

Over a 12-month period, paramedics were called out more than 20 times a day to deal with drunks in the county.

This included 48 people who were so drunk on Christmas Day in 2012 that they required an emergency ambulance.

And 52 people in Sussex needed emergency ambulances because of alcohol on New Year’s Eve 2013.

In calls to South East Coast Ambulance Service (SECAmb) between March 31, 2012, and April 1, 2013, the latest period available, there were 7,463 callouts where the primary problem was alcohol intoxication.

A Freedom of Information request by The Argus revealed this included 2,457 callouts in Brighton and Hove and 5,006 callouts in East and West Sussex.

Now alcohol charities have deemed the news – which included 33 callouts in Sussex on Christmas Day – “a terrible waste of time and money”.

Eric Appleby, chief executive of Alcohol Concern, said: “What a terrible waste of time and money which could be spent on other areas of healthcare.

“Sadly this is a picture that’s replicated up and down the country. We have to face up to our problem relationship with alcohol and deal with it.

“That means taking action on alcohol sold at pocket money prices, its constant availability and getting tough on alcohol advertising.”

A SECAmb spokesman said: “SECAmb handles in excess of 700,000 calls a year. Sadly calls where alcohol is a factor do make up a percentage of them.”

She added: “SECAmb is dedicated to helping all patients and treats people who are alcohol-dependent every day.

“We are able to help direct these patients to the specialist help they require.

“We would like to urge people who are out drinking socially to be aware of the impact drinking to excess has on the ambulance service.

“We want people to enjoy themselves but also to know their limits, look out for others they are with and to be sensible.”