Report assesses fire authorities

Only two of the 47 fire authorities were described as "excellent"

The three fire authorities in Surrey and Sussex have avoided criticism after being "corporately assessed" for the first time.

The Audit Commission conducted a Comprehensive Performance Assessment (CPA) into 47 English fire authorities.

Surrey Fire and Rescue Authority had a "good" assessment, while the performance of its equivalent in East Sussex was described as "fair".

West Sussex Fire and Rescue Authority expects to be rated as "fair".

The result of its inspection will not be announced until August.

The CPA looked at how fire services were run from behind the scenes.

'Performing adequately'

The Audit Commission said it was not judging how well they responded to emergencies and other incidents.

East Sussex Fire Authority was assessed as performing well in six of the nine CPA categories and performing adequately in the other three.

Authority chairman, Councillor Mike Murphy, said: "We are determined to see our 'fair' rating rise.

"We recognise there is more to do and we will continue to look at all areas to improve the service we deliver."

The Surrey authority said its assessment was based on "good performance in some key operational areas, with low numbers of accidental fires in dwellings and malicious false alarms".

Martin Burrell, chief fire officer with West Sussex Fire and Rescue Service, said their predicted "fair" assessment should "reassure the public that we are providing a very high standard of service".