The BBC has apologised after a fault disrupted the broadcast of programmes on BBC Radio Sussex.

Listeners to the station at around 6pm last night noticed that news for neighbouring Kent was broadcast, followed by dead air.

An emergency music tape kicked in for more than half an hour before normal programming resumed.

Broadcast blog The TV Room spotted the error and took to social media to claim that technical issues “seem to be an almost daily occurrence” on BBC local radio stations, while a listener took to social media to question whether funding cuts to local radio were to blame.

A spokesman for the BBC told The Argus: “The BBC is broadcasting thousands of hours of local radio output each week without significant issues.

“The fault on BBC Radio Sussex last night was caused by a technical error and was unrelated to the changes in local radio.”

Founded as BBC Radio Brighton in 1968, BBC Radio Sussex is available on DAB digital radio as well as on FM radio on 95-95.3FM and 104.5-104.8FM.