LOS ANGELES - TROUBLED pop star Britney Spears got visitation rights to her two toddlers while they remain in custody of her ex-husband, aspiring rapper Kevin Federline, his lawyer told reporters.

Lawyers of the former couple attended a new hearing on Wednesday on the custody battle for Sean Preston, two, and Jayden James, one.

On Monday, 25-year-old Spears lost custody of her children 'until further order of the court', after sharing temporary custody with Federline, 29, since their divorce at the end of July.

Spears' lawyer said she lost custody because she did not submit to a drug test or have a valid California driver's license, as demanded by judge Scott Gordon.

Celebrity websites TMZ.com said on Wednesday that Spears was issued a valid California driver's licence. Before then, she had been driving around with a Louisiana license, which is illegal for a permanent California resident.

Federline's lawyer Mark Kaplan said his client attended Wednesday's hearing and came away 'satisfied' with the judge's decision giving Britney visitation rights to her children in the presence of a third party.

Spears shot to superstardom in late 1998, with her smash-hit debut album Baby One More Time which she followed with another chart-topping success the following year, Oops! ... I Did It Again.

According to Time magazine, Spears has sold over 76 million records worldwide and her 31 million albums sold in the United States make her the eighth best-selling female artist in US music history. -- AFP