A strict crowd limit will be in place when NHS bosses face the people in Burgess Hill tonight.

The meeting over proposed changes to accident and emergency services at the Princess Royal Hospital in Haywards Heath is expected to attract hundreds of residents.

A similar meeting in Haywards Heath turned into one of the biggest public protests seen in the town.

Tonight's meeting will have a door limit of 340.

Burgess Hill town clerk David Carden said: "We will be putting stewards on the door. We need to ensure that we limit the capacity to comply with fire regulations."

NHS managers met a hot reception in Haywards Heath, where the crowed called for existing accident and emergency services to be kept and improved.

Tonight's panel is made up of Stuart Welling, chief executive of Brighton Health Care NHS trust; Roger Greene, chief executive of Mid Sussex NHS Trust; Michael Taylor, chief executive of West Sussex Health Authority; and June Dales, programme director of the Central Sussex Partnership.

The NHS bosses favour sending seriously ill people or those needing urgent surgery to the Royal Sussex County Hospital in Brighton.

They could decide to drop the controversial idea but would need to suggest an alternative to satisfy NHS Executive managers.

Thousands of people have already signed a petition opposing the switch to Brighton and want it left out of any future plans.

Mid Sussex Council and Lindfield Parish Council have also lodged objections to the idea.

Tonight's meeting starts at 7.30 pm.