Objections to building a football stadium at Falmer have "vanished," the public inquiry into the scheme was told.

Brighton and Hove City Council said the objections had disappeared, although there was a record of representations.

Planning inspector John Collyer said he had still not been provided with comments made when Brighton and Hove Albion applied for planning permission for the 22,000 seat football ground.

The council's barrister, Mary MacPherson, said: "There is no trouble with the supporting representations. The record of the objections has vanished."

Mr Collyer was first told objections could not be found early in the inquiry, which began in February. He was told the council, which has given the stadium its whole hearted backing, would try to find the missing objections.

There were at least 500 letters from individual people opposed to building the stadium and linked coach park at Village Way North, Falmer.

A number of other organisations and councils also objected to the scheme.

The council granted the scheme planning permission last summer.

Mr Collyer said: "I don't particularly want to go away from this inquiry and tell the Secretary of State the council did not provide me with a summary of representations at the application stage."

Mr Collyer will close the inquiry after hearing final representations from all sides this week.

The hearing will reconvene for two weeks, probably in October, to deal with final matters related to the coach park and a transport interchange.

Tom Carr, of Falmer Parish Council, said the council's inability to find the objections demonstrated the level of scrutiny it had applied to the entire application process.

He said: "It is a slight coincidence they have lost the objections but not the supporting information. They should be able to recover it."

Deputy Prime Minister John Prescott will make a final decision, probably in the autumn, on whether the stadium can be built.

A council spokeswoman said the objections had not been lost but blamed pressures on staff for not handing them over.

He said: "We have lost none of the supporters or objectors' letters or petitions - although that is a myth that has been circulating.

"The inspector can have whatever he wants by the end of the week.

"But we need to discuss with him the level of detail he requires.

"There are 20 lever-arch files of material so it's unlikely he will want it all in that form.

"The reason for the delay is sheer pressure of work on planning staff."