Surrey, Sussex and Hampshire will all be served by just 2 police helicopters by the end of the year.

The respective police authorities agreed on a deal last night.

Police helicopters are used to track criminals in flight and also provides support for major incidents.

At the moment each county operates its own air support unit.

Surrey and Sussex both use helicopters whilst Hampshire uses a fixed wing aeroplane.

Under the new arrangements a shared fleet will be established using the two helicopters for all three counties.

The deal will save the services £8 million over the next five years

Its hoped the new team will be up and running by the end of the year.