Three and four-year-old children face a tougher scramble for places at city schools than ever before.

New figures have revealed Brighton and Hove's primary schools will not have enough places to accommodate the booming young population from next year.

Even previously unpopular schools will be filled to capacity if current predictions prove accurate.

There will be enough space for this year's intake but from September 2011 even planned 30-pupil expansions at Queen's Park, Westdene and Goldstone primaries will not provide sufficient room.

The situation will compound problems for parents in some areas, like central Hove and Kemp Town, who already face difficulty getting their children into oversubscribed nearby schools.

Brighton and Hove City Council yesterday said it had begun work on contingency plans to bring in temporary classrooms at more schools to tackle the problem.

Parents have urged them to speed up proposals for a new primary school instead.

The figures, based on the number of children registered with GPs in the city, show 2,556 children are expected to apply for 2,740 places this year.

The numbers rise steeply to 2,783 pupils starting school in September 2011, creating a shortfall of 43 places, and 2,799 joining in September 2012, an extra 59.

The council said it was looking into creating extra classes at West Blatchington Primary, in Hangleton Way, Hove, and Aldrington Primary, in Eridge Road, Hove, to make up the places.

It has started investigating possible sites for a new primary in Hove as a long-term solution, with preferred sites identified at alongside Hove Park School, in Nevill Road, Hove Park Depot, playing fields in Leicester Villas and an area at BHASVIC in Dyke Road, Hove.

However it has decided to divert £5.7 million of Government cash expected to go towards the project to make permanent the temporary extensions at Queen's Park Primary, in Freshfield Place, Brighton, Goldstone Primary, in Laburnam Avenue, Hove, and Westdene Primary, in Bankside, Brighton.