Council chiefs have apologised after a fountain remained out of action.

The Old Steine fountain in Brighton stopped working last month because of a technical problem.

Brighton and Hove City Council said then it would be back up and running in days.

However, the local authority said this was not yet possible as problems were more serious than first thought.

A council spokesman said: “A new pump is needed, but unfortunately we’ve found there is also an underground fracture to the drainage pipe that needs fixing before the pump can be installed. There is also a problem with the lighting.

“We’ve asked our contractors to carry out the necessary repairs as soon as possible.”