Police have more than doubled the amount they spend on free transport home for suspects released from custody.

Figures obtained by The Argus under the Freedom of Information Act reveal that in the last financial year Sussex Police spent £15,725 on taxis, buses or trains.

This was an increase of 128 per cent on the year before, when the force spent £6,892.

The money for transport in the 12 months up to March 31 could have paid a police community support officer's basic salary for a year.

Police have put the rise down to more suspects being detained in custody and more being considered vulnerable.

Tory MP Nick Gibb, who represents Bognor and Littlehampton, said: "I think we should have an explanation."

Charles Hendry, Tory MP for Wealden, said: "There are so many ifs and buts about this issue. We don't know whether, in the past, they would have given them a lift home in a squad car, so are using police time more efficiently."

However, John Mortimer, a Labour member of the Sussex Police Authority, said £16,000 was a tiny part of the force's £140 million budget.

He said: "Providing the police have tried to find a cheaper way of getting the person home first, if there are no buses available, then using a cab is fine.

"At certain times it would be better to use a squad car but then you are taking it away from what it is supposed to be doing."

Under Sussex Police's policies, people are only sent home for free when they have no money or are considered "vulnerable".

Those who have cash and can look after themselves have to arrange their transport. The custody officer is supposed to use the cheapest form of transport available for other suspects.

Andrew Cheesman, of City Cabs, based in Queen's Road, Brighton, said his drivers sometimes took people from the custody centre in Hollingbury, Brighton, who had arranged their own transport.

He said passengers sometimes had no money for the fare, which led to confrontations.

He said the force would be better off having the custody centre in the middle of Brighton so people released without money were not left wandering the streets.

A police spokeswoman said: "The total of detentions and subsequent releases has increased significantly and there has been a higher percentage that fall into the vulnerable person category."

Brian Stockham of the Sussex Police Federation said he wanted to investigate the reasons for the rise in spending before he commented.