Residents in high-rise flats were forced to construct makeshift dams after vandals let off a fire hose.

Water cascaded from the eighth floor of Kestrel Court in Swanborough Place, Whitehawk, Brighton at about 9.30pm last night.

It ran down walls and through the ceiling to the seventh floor.

People there blocked gaps under their front doors and used newspapers to soak up water.

Firefighters from Roedean helped with the clearing-up.

Dave House, 22, who lives on the seventh floor, said: "I had just got back from holiday and was only in the flat for 45 minutes.

"The TV started flickering because water had got into the aerial box outside the door.

"Our neighbour knocked and I went out to see water coming straight down the door and across the hall. It was about an inch deep in front of the flat.

"It was coming quite fast and I got newspapers to clear it up. I went upstairs to tell the fire brigade that it was coming through downstairs.

"I must have been there for half an hour clearing up."

Margeurite Pridham's eighth-floor flat is opposite the fire hose.

She said: "The carpet at my door got wet and the hall walls got sprayed with water. I wish people would stop messing with it.

"The other week, the pipe was taken off and stretched out along the hall."