Tenants in a tower block are complaining they have been without heating for two months.

A boiler serving St James's House in Kemp Town, Brighton, split open in November.

Residents are complaining that the second boiler can only supply heating and hot water to the lower floors of the 13-storey block.

With temperatures plunging below freezing, people living towards the top of the tower are complaining of ice forming on the inside of their windows.

St James's House is the latest of several tower blocks owned by Brighton and Hove City Council to suffer problems with its heating and hot water.

About 170 flats in Nettleton Court and Dudeney Lodge in Hollingdean were left with only immersion heaters and electric fan heaters for 12 weeks until their communal boiler was fixed in October last year.

The council says the remaining boiler at St James's House is "working adequately to supply hot water and heating to all flats" but the tenants disagree.

Douglas Snoswell, 60, the secretary of St James's House Tenants' Association, said the council had been warned 18 months ago the boiler was on the verge of breaking down.

He said: "It's like living in an iceberg. There are icicles on the windows, on the inside, and there are a lot of pensioners living in the block."

Hazel Stoner, 51, shares a flat with her 16-year-old daughter Chloe.

She said: "I have to wear a fleece when I'm at home and my daughter wears a dressing gown. It's just so cold and all the neighbours have been complaining about it.

"The week after Christmas, my daughter had a bath and washed her hair and then there was no hot water left.

"We had to fall back on the immersion heater, which is ridiculous because we pay the council almost £9.90 per week for heating and hot water.

"It was unbearably hot in the summer when we moved in so we thought we wouldn't have to worry about it getting cold in the winter but now it's gone to the other extreme."

A council spokeswoman said contractors PH Jones and Mears carried out a survey of heating systems in all council blocks in October and found that four out of 63 boilers in 31 blocks were defective.

Officers are drawing up a list of the boilers that should be replaced first.

She said: "The council is aware of a potential problem at St James's House and is looking to replace both boilers as soon as possible.

"However, installation of a new system will involve periods without heating, so to avoid any further inconvenience to residents, this is planned during warmer weather.

"There is currently one boiler out of two at St James's House that is working adequately to supply hot water and heating to all flats."

Council tenants experiencing heating problems can call the repairs hotline on 0800 0526140.