Rape victims in Sussex suffer from a "postcode lottery" over whether their attacker will be brought to justice, it was claimed.

Large regional variations in rape conviction levels across England and Wales were revealed in a report published yesterday.

The Fawcett Commission on women and the criminal justice system found the conviction rate was only 3.4 per cent in Sussex.

This is among the worst conviction rates in England and Wales and compares with 13.8 per cent in Northamptonshire.

Women's welfare groups have called for more money to be ploughed into support services.

There are 14 sexual assault referral centres in England and Wales but the two closest to Sussex are in Dartford, Kent, and Denmark Hill, south-east London.

A Home Office report last year showed cases are more likely to progress further in places where centres exist.

The rape crisis centre in Brighton was forced to close in 2001 after failing to secure a grant.

Julie Frances, of the Women's Refuge Project, said: "These statistics underline the dire need for more services in Sussex for women who have been raped or suffered sexual assault.

"The closure of the rape crisis centre due to a lack of funding was a great loss."

Last year the Brighton Women's Project was also threatened with closure due to a lack of funding but it is moving to new premises in April.

The report also said only an estimated 20 per cent of rapes are ever reported to the police.

Sheila McWattie, Brighton Women's Centre spokeswoman, said: "A lot of women would not think about walking into a police station after being raped. We want to encourage women to come forward, feel welcome and have faith.

"The dearth of funding contributes to the difficulty in providing accessible services."

The Fawcett Commission has called for a new integrated approach to address all violence against women.

Chairwoman Vera Baird, QC, MP, said: "It's unacceptable that a rape victim's chances of getting justice depend on where she lives.

"There is some good work being done in some areas of the country while others are lagging behind.

"We need an integrated approach that gives women all over the country confidence in the system, delivers justice and prevents violence in the first place."

Home Office minister Fiona Mactaggart said: "We are acutely aware of the need to increase rape conviction rates across the country, which is why we have published a consultation paper setting out a range of proposals aimed at improving the outcome of rape cases.

"We also announced a further £2.5 million in funding to further expand care and support services for victims of sexual crimes and domestic violence."