Smith's Wood residents left without heating on Christmas Day

TENANTS in one local tower block have slammed the council after they were left without hot water or heating on Christmas Day.

Residents of Bedford House, in Smith's Wood, said they had to rely on electric heaters over the festive period and some have already demanded compensation from the authorities.

Solihull Community Housing has admitted that 18 out of 58 flats were affected when a temporary boiler - installed nearby - failed.

The system was in place because the local authority is in the process of replacing ageing storage heaters in 21 high-rise blocks with new biomass heating.

Solihull Council told BBC WM that the heating and hot water was now working again at Bedford House. A full investigation has been launched in conjunction with British Gas to determine what caused the fault.

• North Solihull has recorded its coldest temperatures of this year in the last few days. Flurries of snow late on Boxing Day have been followed by freezing conditions. The mercury fell to -4 on Sunday night and residents have woken to white frosts the last couple of mornings. It is expected to become milder over the next few days, with the Met Office predicting that overnight temperatures will climb to 7 degrees by New Year's Eve.