Speechly Bircham has responded to the summer heat by launching a claim against its landlord for about £1.5m over allegations its office is consistently either too hot or too cold.

The claim, issued by the firm in the Technology and Construction Court (TCC) on 2 June, argues that landlord Britannia Invest failed to provide adequate air conditioning and heating of the City firm’s St Andrew Street building since taking over the lease in 2002, making working conditions intolerable.