The Government has been slammed for failing to award nurses in East Sussex a cost of living allowance.

Health bosses and MPs say they are astounded at the Government's decision to give nurses in West Sussex a pay rise for living in an expensive area while those in East Sussex will miss out.

Nurses in West Sussex will receive between £400 and £600 extra a year in their pay packets from April in addition to their annual pay rise because the Government has identified West Sussex as one of the most expensive places in the country, outside of London, in which to live.

East Sussex was not considered to be expensive enough for nursing staff to be eligible for the cash bonus which is being paid to staff in several other counties outside London.

David Lepper, the Labour MP for Brighton Pavilion, was surprised by the discrepancy and said he and fellow Brighton MP Des Turner would make the "strongest representations" to the Government.

Mr Lepper said: "As everyone is aware, outside of London housing costs are still higher in Brighton and Hove than anywhere else in the South East and obviously I was hoping that this scheme would help attract nurses to our hospitals."

Tory MP for Eastbourne Nigel Waterson joined in the criticism. He said: "That's a double whammy. We've been having difficulty recruiting nurses at Eastbourne and extra funds for salaries would have obviously helped."

A spokesman for the Hastings and Rother NHS Trust said: "This is disappointing that nurses working here in Hastings will not qualify for this additional payment. Our concern here is that we may lose some nurses to trusts in West Sussex because they would wish to work where they can earn the extra money."

Mike Collinson, chief officer for Brighton, Hove and Lewes Community Health Council, said: "If this is the case it's atrocious. East Sussex is one of the most expensive areas outside London, where property prices are concerned. Worthing is cheaper than Brighton."

Mr Collinson raised fears that discrepancies in pay would create further staffing problems in east Sussex because nurses living on the borders of the two counties would choose to work in West Sussex because of the higher wages available there.

Both counties have experienced difficulties recruiting nursing staff and have resorted to recruiting staff from abroad.

A spokesman for the Brighton branch of the public sector union Unison said: "It will make recruitment to Brighton, which is not a cheap area, even harder.

"I'm gobsmacked. This is discriminatory to all NHS employees, we all have the same expenses."

But the Halifax Building Society has confirmed that on average house prices in West Sussex are almost £11,000 more than the average house price in East Sussex.

According to the organisation's figures from its Regional House Price Index for the third quarter of this year, the average house costs £135,800 in West Sussex and £124,950 in East Sussex.

A spokesman for the Department of Health said: "Unfortunately the cost of living allowance does not include East Sussex although it does inlcude West Sussex. It's done on an arithmetical basis and unfortunately East Sussex falls just below the line."

The Brighton Health Care NHS Trust announced its own cash incentives on Friday in an attempt to recruit and retain cardiac and ITU nurses. The trust has said it will pay a £2,000 bonus to new nurses in those areas of medicine and £1,000 to existing staff nurses in a bid to fill 140 nursing vacancies.