Social workers are feeling the pressure after a significant increase in child abuse referrals following the case of Baby P.

Incidents of abuse or neglect being reported across the county by professionals and members of the public have risen by 40% in some areas in the aftermath of the child’s killing in London.

The steep increase means that councils are being forced to find millions of pounds extra to pay for more social workers and an increase in court hearings and the number of children being cared for by the local authorities with foster carers or in children’s homes.

Staff are also being given larger caseloads to keep up with demand.

One person who contacted The Argus claiming to be a children’s social worker for Brighton and Hove City Council said staff were struggling to cope with the workload.

The city council would not confirm whether the extra strain on services was leading to delays in dealing with reports of neglect or abuse.

East Sussex County Council has already budgeted to spend an extra £800,000 to deal with the increase in referrals.

And West Sussex County Council confirmed it was suffering “additional pressures” on its finances because of an increase in referrals.