Hastings will have the highest council tax bills in Sussex while Horsham will have the lowest when new charges come into effect next month.

Thousands of bills across the county are being prepared and sent out in the next few weeks.

From April, the basic rate for Band D properties in Hastings will be £983.63, more than 12 per cent up on last year's bill of £874.96.

Residents in Horsham will be asked to pay £813.61, compared to last year's figure of £765.73.

However these figures, made up of the county, district and police charges, do not include precepts paid by residents living in areas covered by a town or parish council.

Eastbourne comes in second in the list of most expensive council tax, where residents can expect to pay an average Band D charge of £926.02, £74.50 more than last year with a rise of more than eight per cent.

This is followed by Wealden district with £915.75, against last year's Band D bill of £839.35.

Lewes is next highest with £915.72, a rise of more than nine per cent from last year's £839.13.

Then comes Adur, with a bill of £893.54 against last year's £837.11, and Rother with Band D charges of £882.36 against last year's £807.08.

Residents in Worthing face a 6.3 per cent rise for Band D properties to £849.51 from last year's 798.57 and in Crawley council taxpayers will face a £49.32 hike to £845.91.

In Brighton and Hove residents will pay £827.75, up from £780.62 last year.

Residents in Arun will pay £824.31, up from £775.94, and Band D residents in Mid Sussex face a bill of £816.66 compared to last year's £769.68.

Second lowest is Chichester, where the bill for Band D properties will be £815.83 compared to last year's £767.78.

East Sussex County Council said it was forced to increase council tax by £1.5 million, or 9.8 per cent, to help cover the cost of flooding.

It said the rise would cover the increasing costs of social services whose budget has been put under pressure by people living longer and turning to social services for help because their own care funds had run out.

Councillors blamed the lack of Government funding in the wake of the floods for the increase.

Councillor David Rogers, leader of East Sussex County Council, said: "The rising costs of community care and the burden of the October floods should not have to fall on local people."

Brighton and Hove City Council raised its council tax by six per cent to pay for improvements to housing, environmental health, local transport schemes and computers.

West Sussex County Council has raised its share of the council tax by 6.5 per cent to plug a £12 million gap in Government funding for social services and to cover costs caused by flooding.