Ambulance crews are responding to 999 calls quicker than last year, according to new figures.

However, Sussex Ambulance Service NHS Trust is still falling short of Government guidelines.

The trust is reaching an average of 70 per cent of life-threatening emergency calls within the eight minutes demanded by the Government.

The figure is still below the national target of 75 per cent but ambulance bosses are pleased with the improvement made in the past year.

The service is reaching 14 per cent more seriously ill patients within the required time than at the same time last year, when only 56 per cent of calls were dealt with in time.

Since then, the ambulance service has trained more than 40 additional paramedics and bought in more vehicles to help improve response times. The service hit a bad patch towards the end of last year when its ability to respond quickly was severely affected by the October floods in Lewes and Uckfield.

A high number of 999 calls were also being made to incidents which did not need the attendance of an accident and emergency ambulance.

Unnecessary calls continue to be one of the service's main problems although a campaign to encourage people to use the NHS Direct line for information first is beginning to have an effect.

The service's chief executive David Griffiths said: "Very significant improvements in our speed of response to seriously ill or injured people have been made.

"Unfortunately, the effects of the flooding in October set back our progress, but further improvements in the past few weeks mean that we are really making a difference to the speed at which the seriously ill and injured are getting access to emergency care.

"We are now less than one minute on average away from reaching our 75 per cent target.

"In the past two weeks we have reached more than 70 per cent of life-threatening calls within eight minutes and in the past seven days alone this has risen to 73 per cent.

"These improvements have been a real team effort by determined and dedicated people."

A spokesman for the ambulance crews' union Unison said despite the improved times, there was still a problem with recruitment.

He said: "Staff are still working long hours without a break to cover shifts and this needs to be looked at."

Despite recent recruiting, the service still needs to add almost 40 paramedics to its 410 to reach full capacity.