A question mark hung over more than 400 Sussex BT workers' jobs today in a reorganisation of the telecoms giant's call centres.

The company is spending £4.6 million creating three "multi-function customer contact centres" in the South East.

But the move means nine existing call centres - including Brighton and Hastings - will be closed over the next two years, with the loss of 2,200 posts.

The cuts will not involve compulsory redundancies thanks to an agreement with union bosses.

But BT said the 271 workers at Telecom House in Preston Road, Brighton, would either leave voluntarily or change positions and be redeployed to a BT Wholesale site near Gatwick.

The 131 employees based at Telephone Exchange in Havelock Road, Hastings, will also have to relocate. One of the new-style centres will be in Tunbridge Wells, Kent.

A BT spokesman said: "No new generation site has been named ideal for the Brighton area.

"We are confident that we can move the Brighton workers to other positions within British Telecom in the Sussex area. This is a commitment we have given to the people."

BT said the new multi-function sites would provide customers with "a greater choice of how to interact with BT".

Patricia Vaz, BT Retail's managing director of customer service, said: "We do not underestimate the impact of this transformation project and virtually everyone in our existing call centre operation will be affected in one way or another.

"However, we are totally committed to manage these changes sensitively and professionally, and in line with specific principles agreed with the unions.

"We value our people very highly and will be giving them all the support we can. We are committed to finding suitable alternative roles for everyone who wants to remain in BT."

Carol Borghesi, director of the Next-Generation Contact Centre Project, said: "Every year about ten per cent of people working in our contact centres leave by their own choice to take up positions elsewhere in the company or leave BT altogether.

"This natural wastage, over the two-year implementation period, gives us scope and flexibility and will help with redeployment."

BT is expected to announce next month which centres will shut first.