The headteacher of Brighton College has been branded a snob for suggesting many parents struggle to pay the fees - and not enough of them drive a Mercedes.

Dr Anthony Seldon's observations on those who pay fees of £12,500 a year have caused outrage, with some now considering withdrawing their children.

In an interview with a national newspaper, Dr Seldon described the majority of college parents as "people who struggle hard to find the fees."

He pointed out that "squadrons of Range Rovers and silver Mercedes" were not to be seen proceeding down the drive.

He lamented: "I'd like to redefine the school but we're constrained by the quality of intake and we can't afford to be more selective than we are," adding: "We're not Charterhouse or Tonbridge."

Dr Seldon's comments were compounded by the school's incoming chair of governors.

Lord Skidelsky, a distinguished academic and college old boy who lives in Firle, near Lewes, said: "The problem is that we're not attracting enough of the brightest and best. We're limited by the catchment area.

"The parents are mainly small business people and professionals. They tend not to have lots of books in their homes or a wide cultural life.

"I'd like it to be a more distinguished school but we don't want to alienate our current market."

The college was today keen to distance itself from the comments, which appeared in the Daily Telegraph's education supplement.

Much of the article praised Dr Seldon's achievement since taking the reins in 1997. He has increased the number of pupils, paid off a £3 million overdraft and spent more than £4 million on refurbishment and building. The college has also soared up the academic leagues.

Dr Seldon told The Argus: "The article is full of extraordinarily praising comments about the school and its progress in recent years.

"My only regret is that, at the end of the article, Lord Robert Skidelsky was quoted out of context about our parents.

"In fact, Lord Skidelsky, who is an Old Brightonian himself, has yet to meet our parents, and is greatly looking forward to getting to know them in his new capacity as chairman."

But the damage limitation exercise may have come too late.

Photocopies of the article were being handed out among pupils and parents.

The Argus carried out a spot-check at the 19th Century college yesterday.

In 30 minutes, five typically middle-class SUV-type cars including a Range Rover, a Mitsubishi Shogun and three Land Rovers pulled up.

Children were also being driven home in prestige cars including an Aston Martin, a BMW convertible and two Mercedes-Benzes.

But a Volkswagen, Nissan Micra, Ford Ka, Citroen and two Ford Fiestas also rolled past.

Parents said the article had provoked controversy and upset.

One Mercedes driver said: "These comments do make me angry. I have heard some of the other mothers talking about it and they think he's just being a snob.

"The car you drive isn't a reflection of how good your children are."

A parent who had left a Ford Focus at home and was walking with her son added: "You cannot blame the head or governors in a school for wanting it to be the best.

"But it's wrong to say the catchment area or parents here now aren't good enough.

"If we all sent our children elsewhere there wouldn't be any Brighton College at all."

The total fees for a day pupil entering the pre-prep department at four and staying until 18 come to £135,000.

A father-of-two said: "This is going to ruin the morale of the school. I have one child in the upper school and one in the prep school and it costs £21,000 a year.

"I must have paid £150,000 already. I would not withdraw my kids but other people are thinking seriously of it over these comments. They are humiliating.

"It says we are the type of people who don't have books in our homes. But we have done lots of fund-raising to get more books for the school.

"Dr Seldon has done a lot to elevate the school but he increased the class sizes and the number of classes to get money in."

Dr Seldon told the Daily Telegraph's education editor John Clare he was worried about "the wide gulf in performance" between the independent and state sectors.

He said today: "Our parents include a lot of writers, a lot of university people, a lot of actors, a lot of media people. There is an incredible cross section.

"I would say they are very cultured and include a lot of people who make their names in cultural activities.

"A lot of our parents find it very hard to meet the fees but I find that a great strength of the school. We are not a school that has only socially exclusive people in it. I don't think our parents would like Brighton College to be like that."