Hospitals are bracing themselves for a winter crisis as the flu season kicks in.

Experts say intensive care units across Sussex are facing an "inevitable" bed shortage because there are not enough specialist spaces to go round.

The Intensive Care Society (ICS) says only 2.5 per cent of hospital beds are allocated for critical care in the UK, the lowest level in Europe.

This compares to 3.5 per cent in France and Germany and four per cent in Denmark.

The UK also has the smallest average number of intensive care units - six beds per unit compared to 19 per unit in Belgium.

At the moment hospitals in Sussex are managing to cope with demand but if there is a serious flu outbreak, they could face serious pressures.

Princess Royal Hospital in Haywards Heath has six intensive care beds and another six are based at Hurstwood Park neurosciences centre.

A hospital spokesman said the unit was busy but not at full stretch.

He said: "We have not had to transfer any patients to other hospitals for non-clinical reasons in the last two weeks.

"There are no signs of major problems with flu at the moment. We are starting to see an increase in the number of patients with chest problems coming into the hospital but the units have not been affected.

"We go through a series of peaks and troughs throughout the year. Winter is always a busy time but we hope we have made enough preparations to cope."

There are 14 intensive care beds at the busiest hospital in Sussex, the Royal Sussex County Hospital in Brighton and two more beds are due to open next year.

It has another eight in its cardiac department.

The ICS says the Government's focus on waiting list targets are skewing the management of care in hospitals across the UK.

It is also angered by the failure of a promised £14 million of extra funding.

ICS president Saxon Ridley said many beds were taken up with patients who needed intensive care after major planned surgery, leaving many emergency patients without a bed.

He said hospitals were keen not to cancel operations in their efforts to cut waiting lists so surgery went ahead regardless of the need to have beds available for emergency cases, which make up 75 per cent of intensive care workload.

The dangers of transferring patients when beds were not available in their hospital was also highlighted by the ICS.

He said: "Transferring patients is dangerous. It exposes them to risks and their physiological state deteriorates.

"The number of transfers is increasing and an intensive care bed crisis this winter is inevitable.

"Hospitals are creaking because there are so many patients at every level."

Doctors had warned intensive care units were already running at full capacity since the summer and if a flu epidemic was added then it would cause even more problems.

Dr Ridley said: "A shortage of beds is a serious risk to patients who are critically ill.

"It is vital the issue of funding in critical care is addressed and more ICU beds be made available."

Health Secretary John Reid said there was no evidence to suggest patients would receive inadequate critical care.

He said: "It is irresponsible for the ICS to use an informal canvass of some members' opinions in order to worry patients and the public without reason.

"Capacity for critical care is at record levels with 3,128 beds, a 32 per cent increase since January 2000."

The Government had provided an additional £299 million specifically for critical care between 2000 and 2003.