Celebrity DJ and producer Fatboy Slim has been told that Brighton is not ready for a repeat of his controversial free summer beach party next year.

Brighton council officials say the event that brought the city to a standstill this summer should not go ahead in 2003 because of safety fears.

There were chaotic scenes in July as more than 250,000 revellers - four times more than expected - converged on the city for a night of music at the Big Beach Boutique.

Fatboy Slim - real name Norman Cook - has expressed his hopes of repeating the event and taking it on an international tour.

Cook says he would still like to stage a party next year

But the city council's culture committee is being urged to reject the idea when it meets on Thursday.

Chris Holm, resort services manager at the council, says in a report: "The impact of this year's event is still at the forefront of people's minds.

"It is generally felt that the summer of 2003 would be too soon to stage another large scale music spectacular on Brighton beach."

Mr Holm adds, however, that "no one is ruling out the potential for such an event to take place in future years".

A spokeswoman for the council said a "smaller, more controlled" event would be considered.

"The recommendation is that there's no show on the beach next year, and that we come up with a way of controlling any events in future years. No decision has been made yet."

At the July event, public transport was overwhelmed and emergency services had to weave through crowded streets.

Afterwards there was anger among locals when council staff, helped by the show's organisers, spent days clearing up rubbish including broken bottles.

I think whether the event is held or not is up to the people of Brighton, not any one organisation Cook spokesman

A 26-year-old Australian nurse, Karen Manders, fell 20 feet to her death from railings. An inquest heard she had been drinking and taking ecstasy.

A man in his 40s also died, after suffering a heart attack. His death was treated as coincidental to the event.

Cook, who lives in Hove with wife Zoe Ball, told a magazine interviewer he wanted to take his Big Beach Boutique on an international tour.

A spokesman for Cook's record company, Skint, said the DJ had acknowledged that this year's event was "a bit much".

However, he would still hope to stage a further party if the public backed it.

"I think whether the event is held or not is up to the people of Brighton, not any one organisation," said Cook's spokesman.

"If a majority says we don't want it, then we won't put it on.

"But if they do want it then we will try to work with the authorities to repeat the event."