Britney loses custody of sons.

BRITNEY Spears has lost custody of her children, according to US reports last night.

Showbiz website Access Hollywood reported that Los Angeles court documents showed Kevin Federline would be granted custody of the couple's two children, Sean Preston and Jayden James, on October 3.

Federline would retain custody "until further notice of the Court", the website said.

At a hearing behind closed doors in the Los Angeles Superior Court yesterday, Judge Scott Gordon ordered the pop star to turn over custody of her two young sons to ex-husband Federline later this week.

Last month, Judge Gordon said Spears engaged in "habitual, frequent and continuous use of controlled substances and alcohol" and ordered her to undergo random drug and alcohol testing twice a week as part of her custody dispute with Federline.

Spears was previously ordered to meet weekly with a "parenting coach" who was to observe and report back to the court about her parenting skills.

Both Spears and Federline must complete the court's "Parenting Without Conflict" class. The singer's divorce became official on July 30.