Diabetics in Sussex are missing out on vital healthcare because of a serious shortage of consultants.

Results of a survey by Diabetes UK reveal treatment varies wildly between different areas, with parts of the North faring better than the South.

The charity, which released the figures to mark the start of Diabetes Week, reveals Sussex has one consultant for every 149,000 people, of which an estimated 4,300 have diabetes.

Experts believe primary care trusts (PCTs) are failing to give the condition a high enough priority.

Lack of access to consultants can mean sufferers are not able to control their diabetes properly, leading to problems such as kidney disease, damage to the eyes and the nervous system.

The South-East fares especially badly in the data compiled by Diabetes UK and the Royal College of Physicians, using information provided by PCTs.

The region has one consultant for every 149,000 people, compared with one per 55,000 in Yorkshire.

The findings did not surprise 73-year-old Jean Fuller, who was diagnosed with diabetes 50 years ago.

Miss Fuller, of Greenfield Road, Eastbourne, said: "We are really struggling at the moment to get proper support and treatment, just because of a lack of staff.

"We usually have two full-time consultants at Eastbourne District General but one has left and not yet been replaced. Another consultant is at the clinic just one day a week.

"It is a national problem - finding consultants and dieticians for diabetics - but it's hitting us badly here."

Anne Jones, 62, from Burgess Hill, lives with her husband John, 72, who was diagnosed with diabetes in 1984. The disease eventually took his sight and Mrs Jones stressed the importance of early diagnosis and treatment.

She said: "If you are poor, sick or elderly, you should live in the North - the medical provision and recognition of needs is much better and low income goes further.

"The number of consultants has been abysmal, certainly in this part of the South-East."

Anthony Corrall, Diabetes UK Brighton branch chairman since 1985, said: "A lack of consultants is worrying, especially because half the people who have diabetes do not know they have it.

"They only find out by going to the doctor for a medical but they are walking around developing complications before they know."

Diabetes UK chief executive Paul Streets said: "People with diabetes should not have to worry about whether they will get a fair deal from the NHS just because of where they live.

"Diabetes is serious and potentially life-threatening.

"Providing high-quality diabetes services in GP practices and local hospitals is not an optional extra for PCTs. They must deliver."

About 1.4 million people in the UK have been diagnosed with diabetes. An estimated further million have the condition but are not aware of it.