DJ Norman Cook, alias Fatboy Slim, says he won't stage another concert on Brighton beach because he couldn't live with himself if it became "another Hillsborough".

He says last year's party came too close to disaster.

Referring to the incident in 1989 when 96 football fans died in a crush at the Sheffield Wednesday stadium, Norman said: "Last year's Big Beach Boutique could have been another Hillsborough.

"If we had a crush situation like Hillsborough, I think I would have had a nervous breakdown.

"We were a hair's breadth away from a major incident last time and I don't think it's worth risking it again."

The Hove-based DJ's decision comes only weeks after Brighton and Hove City Council decided not to hold a free beach party this summer.

Councillors were told it was too soon to stage a repeat of the event, which attracted more than 250,000 people and brought the city to the brink of chaos.

About 160 people were injured during the event and Australian nurse Karen Manders, 26, died two days after falling 20ft from railings on the Upper Esplanade after attending the concert.

The beach was also left strewn with broken bottles and beer cans.

Despite this, councillors refused to rule out the potential for a similar event taking place in future years.

But for Norman the party is finally over. He says the mental and emotional strain is just too high.

He said: "If the council wants to do it again in 2004, then good luck to them but I don't want to.

"A girl died last year and for a while I felt responsible and it took a lot out of me emotionally.

"I don't want to put anyone's life at risk. I don't want to put the city at risk. I don't want to see it in the mess it was after last year. I know it is unlike me to be sensible but in this case I have to be.

"I've lived here for 21 years and I intend to live here for the rest of my life and I'm not prepared to have people hate me just for the sake of my ego, playing records and waving my arms round in front of a big crowd of people.

"Strangers just want a big party but they're not the ones taking the risk."

Although Norman wants to step down as the main organiser, he says he would be happy to advise the council and even had a replacement DJ in mind.

He said: "I think Carl Cox would be the perfect person to take over from me. He lived in Brighton for 15 years and still lives in Sussex. It might change the atmosphere a bit though.

"The fact that I'm good-natured and kind of goofy affects the crowd. Carl's music is a bit harder edged."

Council leader Ken Bodfish says: "We're keen to stage other music shows on the seafront but on a much smaller scale than last summer.

"We can't do 250,000 again, whatever happens.

"We simply haven't had time to look at ways of ensuring a smaller, more controllable event this year, so officers can't yet put proposals before councillors.

"Summer 2004 is a long way away and it is too early to predict what might happen but we're certainly open to ideas."

For the full interview with Norman Cook, see This Is Brighton magazine, out on January 14.

Fatboy Slim has given an inkling of what to expect on his next album due out in September.

The DJ said one of the songs was as good as his No 1 hit Praise You. Fatboy, who has also been working with Brit-poppers Blur, is holed up in his home studio in Hove recording the follow-up to his last album Halfway Between The Gutter And The Stars.

He told Muzik magazine: "House music isn't doing it for me at the moment. This one will be a bit more eclectic."