Firefighters are calling on the public to help them save an aerial appliance crew from being axed.

They say dozens of people in Brighton and Hove have been rescued by aerial ladders, which can be used at heights of up to 100ft, but getting rid of them will put lives at risk.

The ladders have been used in major fires including the Palmeira Square Fire in 1992 and The Grand hotel bombing in October 1984.

East Sussex Fire and Rescue Service has proposals which include the axing of 48 jobs and the removal of one of the aerial units stationed at Preston Circus, Brighton, or Hove fire station.

Preston Circus station, one of the busiest in the country, has in previous years borne the brunt of cuts.

Getting rid of one unit means a dedicated crew of six can be distributed elsewhere.

The Integrated Risk Management Plan annually looks the staffing and distribution of resources and has put forward a series of efficiency proposals in East Sussex, including axing of one of the aerial ladders.

The consultation process ends on Friday, with a final decision expected at the January meeting of the East Sussex Fire Authority. The Fire Authority is making no comment while the consultation process takes place.

An East Sussex firefighter with almost 30 years of experience said: "Countless lives have been saved by the rescue ladders in Brighton and Hove over the past 25 years.

"They will no longer be there when the public needs them. Why are they cutting jobs in Brighton and nowhere else?

"Appliances and operational staff have been reduced over the years from the busiest fire station in the South of England, now another cut threatens at a time when there are more calls than ever.

"We need the public to unite against these proposals."

Steve Petch, Brighton firefighter and East Sussex FBU vice-chairman said: "Many people owe their lives to the prompt response of these appliances.

"Firefighters across East Sussex are dismayed the Fire Authority may vote to cut these appliances and their crews.

"The risk management plan is meant to improve the safety of the public and should not be used to cut frontline services."