Deckchair boss Steve Smith is counting the cost of Fatboy Slim's beach concert.

Party-goers wrecked or burned 200 deckchairs in the aftermath of the DJ's party between the Palace Pier and West Pier in Brighton last Saturday.

Steve, who runs Brighton Deckchairs, said: "This has cost me about £10,000 in damage and lost business.

"That may not be a lot of money to Fatboy Slim but it's a fortune to me."

Mr Smith and his staff had planned to clear the beach of deckchairs by 4.30pm on Saturday - five hours before the start of the concert.

By 4pm the beach was so full they could not get through the crowds to reclaim them.

He said: "Saturday was the hottest day of the year so far and this part of the beach was packed anyway. It's also on the direct route from the railway station so people were piling down here in their hundreds.

"We couldn't get all the chairs in to lock them away so we had to leave them. I came back between midnight and 1am and found them wrecked. Those that hadn't been burnt were broken.

"The clean-up guys have done their best but it has been a disaster for people like me.

"I wish I had owned an off-licence. Some people have made an awful lot of money. It may have put us on the map as a city of culture but at what price?

"The party was a good idea but it got totally out of hand."

The damage and loss of earnings for Mr Smith's team of nine deckchair attendants is not covered by insurance.

Mr Smith has written to Brighton and Hove City Council to complain about the lack of planning for the event.