The owners of a skating rink have been told they could be breaching fly-tipping rules for dumping ice on a pavement and allowing it to melt.

Relations between Sherry and Roy Scott and Brighton and Hove City Council became frosty after the authority claimed responsibility for a plot of land outside their business - and slapped parking restrictions on it.

The couple have owned Sussex Ice Rink in Queen's Road, Brighton, for three years and have used the land outside for parking, storing dustbins and dumping ice they scrape off the rink every day.

Previous owners used the land, which is a cul-de-sac, for 17 years without any bother.

Mr and Mrs Scott usually shovel the ice into a wheelbarrow and pile it against the wall so the water can run away into the drain.

Now the council has told them they will have to put the ice into special bins or they will be in breach of fly-tipping regulations and could face prosecution.

The authority put parking restrictions on the land because it says it is a public highway, meaning the couple will no longer be able to park there, dump their ice or have any rubbish bins.

To add insult to injury, the couple were forced to abandon a skating session on Tuesday morning.

It was halted because, when the couple arrived, contractors were resurfacing land next to the rink in preparation for double-yellow lines to be painted.

The couple had not been told the work was to be carried out and were forced to turn skaters away for safety reasons because they could not open their fire exit.

Mrs Scott said: "As far as we were concerned, the plot was a no man's land.

"Anyone could park there and we used it to dump our ice and put bins out."

The couple received a letter from the council telling them the area was a public highway.

It said contractors were going to put in disabled bays and residents' parking.

The council told the couple they would have to pay to park and would need special bins to put their waste in.

If they failed to do so they would be considered to be fly-tipping.

Mrs Scott said: "They just want to make money.

"First of all they said they would give us a bit of land and we could park there and then they said we would have to have a licence.

"The council says it's trying to help small businesses but it seems to be doing its best to take it away."

A spokeswoman for Brighton and Hove City Council said: "The land outside the ice rink is a public highway and the council is responsible for its upkeep.

"The area had deteriorated and the lines become worn.

"Once we established the land was ours, it was our duty to bring it up to standard. We are due to repaint the yellow lines. We also looked at the issue of ice being dumped on the highway."