Almost twice as many firms in the Sussex have seen a rise in sales and orders over the last six months as have seen a fall.

The figures were revealed in the latest Business in Britain survey by Worthing-based Lloyds TSB Commercial.

The report showed nearly 50 per cent of firms across the South-East increased sales and the majority managed to keep their prices stable.

Their performance outstripped firms in many other parts of the country which had to slash prices in order to maintain sales.

More than 60 per cent of South-East firms envisaged prices holding steady for the next six months.

While many UK firms had seen profits tumble as a result of slashing prices, profitability of South-East firms had stayed constant. This had resulted in business confidence staying as buoyant as it was six months ago.

Richard Iwinski, area director for Lloyds TSB Commercial, said: "It is encouraging to see businesses in the region consistently reporting an increased in sales and profits remaining relatively healthy.

"In contrast, firms in many other regions across the country were struggling to maintain sales and profits and were having to slash prices in order to maintain them."

The survey also showed the South-East had been one of the top regions for employment growth in the last six months.