Gas prices in Brighton are to rocket, leaving hundreds of council tenants feeling the pinch in the middle of winter.

Plummeting temperatures mean hundreds of Brighton and Hove City Council tenants will be cranking up their central heating systems this week but from January 23 it will cost them more than double to do so.

The council faces a huge increase in the price of gas supplied to its concrete tower blocks from £232.96 to £477.36 a week - a rise of around 105 per cent.

It will affect all the estimated 1,100 tenants living in the blocks in Brighton, including many who are elderly and already struggling to pay heating bills.

Most will pay the increased gas bills in weekly rent payments to the council. That will mean bills of £9.18 a week rather than £4.48.

One resident, living in St James' House, Kemp Town, said: "It is absolutely disgraceful they are doing this to elderly people and at this time of the year.

"We are facing a cold winter and rather than helping people out they make it twice as hard for them."

The city council says a new contract signed with British Gas is to blame for the price rise. It affects tenants living in council-owned concrete tower blocks such as Nettleton Court and Dudeney Lodge, Brighton.

Health and safety rules dictate that gas appliances are not allowed inside the buildings so the council supplies gas for central heating and hot water via boilers outside.

A city council spokesman said: "It is unfortunate that tenants who live in communal blocks have been hit by such a sharp increase in their bills.

"We recently awarded, with the support of an energy expert, a new gas contract to British Gas for a 36-month period at a fixed price.

"It's the view of the energy experts and all market analysts that the price is of the correct order and reflects market changes.

"All gas users have seen large price rises recently and are likely to see more in coming years. The domestic market as a whole is likely to catch up with the increases we've had to pass on to our tenants.

"The council pays for gas costs for a number of housing flats which have communal heating systems and this is then recharged to those tenants through a weekly heating charge.

"It should be noted that the council will not be adding any inflationary increases to tenants' gas heating charges for the next three years."

Bob Gunnell, vice chairman of Brighton and Hove Older People's Council, said he was "deeply concerned".

Ray Blackwood, of the Coalition of Pensioners Brighton and Hove, said: "Paying heating bills is a big concern for pensioners. Many will struggle now."

Dwindling North Sea reserves have pushed gas costs upward and the recent row between Russia and the Ukraine over gas supplies pumped into Europe has led to predictions of further rises.