Sussex firms are failing to prepare for the introduction of the euro across most of the European Union.

Two-thirds of exporting businesses in the county did not invoice in the new currency although they had had two years to prepare, said a report by Lloyds TSB Commercial.

Replacement of the 12 euro zone national currencies takes place on December 31.

Martyn Last, Lloyds TSB Commercial regional international business manager, said: "Although the latest figure is up slightly on last year's data, which revealed 31 per cent of firms throughout the UK were then issuing euro invoices, it is still a surprisingly low percentage.

"This could indicate that exporters have yet to address the euro-issue or, indeed, are missing the business implications.

"It is interesting to discover, despite the current high-profile debate raging around the euro, many firms seem to be unaware, or worse, are sticking their heads in the sand and leaving practical preparation for the switch to the single currency to the last minute.

"The risk is exporters could be left out in the cold and miss valuable business opportunities."

The survey also showed 36 per cent of exporters had seen their order books grow, a marginal improvement on the figures from this time last year when 33 per cent were able to report increased export sales.

Twenty-five per cent of exporters reported declining orders, the same percentage as the last half of last year.