A councillor is demanding a meeting with train bosses in a bid to avoid a repeat of the gridlock that marred a charity cycle event.

Last month's annual British Heart Foundation (BHF) London to Brighton bike ride brought Brighton to a standstill as 27,000 cyclists arrived after a 54-mile ride on one of the hottest days of the year.

Some visitors vowed never to return to the city after hours stuck in traffic.

Brighton and Hove City councillor Craig Turton has blamed the problems on train operators who banned cyclists from taking bikes back to London after the event, the largest of its kind in Europe.

The ban was imposed because new Electrostar rolling stock, which replaced slam-door trains in 2003, can only carry two bicycles per carriage.

Coun Turton, Labour's environment councillor, said he wanted to meet directors of operators Southern and Thameslink within the next month to find a solution to the problem.

He said: "I don't want to see a repetition of this farce.

"The train operators should be able to lay on additional capacity."

Council officers warned the operating companies about the potential problems of the new rolling stock before they were introduced but Coun Turton said they had failed to listen.

Coun Turton suggested the operating companies could have brought the old stock back into use for the cycle event.

But Marsid Greenidge, spokesman for Southern, the main operator of trains into Brighton station, said the old rolling stock was due to be scrapped in November when new laws came into effect banning use of slam-door trains.

He said: "We don't think there was a problem. We did the same as we did last year and advised the BHF we were unable to take cycles on our trains on the day."

Mr Greenidge said the provision of transport was a matter for the event organisers. He defended the Electrostar stock and said: "This is a once-a-year event and we wouldn't plan building trains to last 30 years around a yearly event."

Annette Richardson, spokeswoman for the BHF, said: "We are aware of the train issue because they couldn't carry bikes last year either.

"We respond to demand and anyone who requested a place on a truck or coach was able to get one."