East Sussex Fire Brigade today admitted it does not have full rescue capability to deal with widespread flooding.

A report to a fire authority meeting this morning said bluntly: "Increasingly, there is an expectation on the part of the public that on responding to a particular disaster we will be expert and fully capable of dealing with the incident.

"In the case of widespread flooding, this is not the case."

It said whether any organisation could afford to provide sufficient support to communities in conditions such as those of last October and November "is debatable".

The report from Chief Fire Officer Alan McCormack says his brigade offers rescue capability for any life risk on humanitarian grounds but is limited by its resources.

He said: "A significant flood rescue capability might be likely to involve appropriate and extensive provision for dry suits, life jackets, heavy pumping machinery, pipelines, large capacity hose, portable drying equipment, four-wheel drive vehicles, inshore boats and appropriate training and support infrastructure."

Mr McCormack said all agencies in East Sussex would need to consider this need to cope with future flooding.

A more detailed report on the issues will be presented to the authority at its meeting in June.