A replica of the dress that schoolgirl Sarah Payne wore when she was abducted was displayed for the first time yesterday.

It was brought to Britain from the manufacturers in Taiwan for a police press conference in Littlehampton yesterday afternoon.

Sarah's blue sports dress, one black shoe and underwear have still not been found.

Det Supt Alan Ladley said the royal blue dress, which has yellow piping around the collar and sleeves, could be mistaken for a dumped polo shirt.

Police also revealed a reward of more than £150,000 is now on offer to try to catch the killer of Sarah.

The reward was announced when detectives made a series of new appeals for information about specific lines of inquiry in the hunt for the eight-year-old's killer.

The cash is coming from media organisations, companies and individuals.

Det Supt Ladley also asked for more information about the dress, white vans and horse riders which could have been in the area when she disappeared.

The body of Sarah has been released by West Sussex coroner Roger Stone so that her heartbroken parents can bury her at last. The decision was taken after a second independent post mortem was carried out on the body of the tragic eight-year-old.

Sarah's parents, Sara and Michael, can now go ahead with a funeral service planned for next Thursday, at a church near the family's home in Hersham, Surrey.

Hundreds of people attended a public memorial service for Sarah earlier this month at Guildford Cathedral.

Police also appealed for any photographs taken on July 1 - the day of her abduction -of the beach where Sarah played with her family.

Det Supt Ladley told the news conference that police have taken 35,000 calls, interviewed 4,000 people and taken more than 800 statements since the blonde girl vanished from a country lane near East Preston.

Det Supt Ladley said inquiries were on-going and his team of more than 60 officers was "doggedly determined" to find the killer. Detectives were still seeking more information on four specific lines of inquiry.

He said an amateur photographer could have caught the killer on film if they were watching Sarah and her family on Kingston Gorse beach before the abduction.

Det Supt Ladley said it was possible the killer had seen Sarah for the first time in the country lane where she disappeared, close to her grandparents' home, or the murderer could have been watching the Paynes earlier in the day.

He appealed for anyone who was on the beach between 6pm and 7.30pm on July 1 and took photographs or video footage to contact police as they could have vital clues.

Det Supt Ladley said two horse riders had also been spotted on the beach but had not yet been traced and urged them to get in touch.

Long-term stalking is thought be unlikely and detectives believe Sarah did not know her killer.