Superstar Madonna is returning to London to resume her house-hunting only weeks after she bought her plush Chelsea home.

The 41-year-old star has decided to sell the £3.7m, four-storey mansion she bought in November after advisers told her it was not safe to live there, according to newspaper reports.

She is due to fly in to the capital on Tuesday to begin, once again, her search for somewhere more suitable, said The Times. While in the capital she will, added the paper, probably be staying in rented accommodation.

Madonna bought the luxury house in a surprise private deal following 18 months of frustrating searching with the help of numerous estate agents.

Only a few days before Christmas, however, and the house was back on the market.

Security advisers had warned the multi-millionaire singer that the property - which was visible from the road - was far too vulnerable for someone of her fame.

The wisdom of Madonna's decision to heed their advice was reinforced a few days later, when former Beatle George Harrison was stabbed inside his home.



At the same time, police were facing renewed criticism for failing to catch the killer of TV presenter Jill Dando.

Madonna is thought to be asking £4m for the property. But experts said she was unlikely to make a profit. There will be legal fees and stamp duty at 3.5% to pay. She will also face estate agent fees on the sale.

Madonna, whose daughter Lourdes is expected to be educated in England, is said to have put in an offer on a converted telephone exchange in Notting Hill, but was out-bid by another buyer.