Britain's oldest working airport has flown back into the red.

After making a profit for several years, Shoreham Airport made a loss last year of almost £100,000.

Airport treasurer Chris Taylor said the airport had hoped to make a surplus of more than £30,000.

Worthing and Brighton and Hove councils will have to pick up the tab as the airport is jointly run by them.

Labour Cabinet councillor Don Turner told Brighton and Hove policy committee last night that flooding had led to less use of the airport than usual.

The fuel crisis in September also prevented many fliers from driving to the airport.

There had also been problems with the catering contract which had proved to be extremely costly.

He added that the restaurant had been put on a sound financial footing and the weather had improved.

The total budget for this year is more than £2.2 million. The airport made a profit of more than £80,000 last year.

Mr Taylor said: "The autumn weather was the worst for more than 100 years and resulted in much lower than anticipated income levels."

He added the airport would have to be careful not to make another loss as reserves were now low and the councils would have to bale it out.

Tory councillor Geoffrey Theobald said: "We have gone from profit to loss and we are now in a very difficult position.

Coun Turner said everything possible was being done to ensure the airport at least broke even this year and so far things were looking good.

Airport manager John Haffenden said he could not comment on specific figures but said the airport was "not in trouble".

He said: "There are legitimate reasons for this deficit. During the fuel crisis people could not get to us to fly and in the floods we were effectively cut off when the A27 looked like a lake."