Police investigating the murder of schoolgirl Sarah Payne are to make renewed appeals to the public on the BBC's Crimewatch show.

Detectives still want to trace the driver of a 7.5 ton curtain-sided lorry who may hold vital clues to the youngster's killer.

They believe that at 10.30pm on July 1 - the day the eight-year-old was abducted - the driver was involved in a near-miss with a van while travelling along the A29, just south of Brinsbury College, near Pulborough.

He was forced to brake hard to avoid hitting the van as it pulled out of a lane, close to where Sarah's body was found two-and-a-half weeks later.

A police spokesman said: "This driver is a crucial witness. It looks as though he had to avoid hitting a white Transit-style van pulling out of this lane just a few hours after Sarah disappeared and we don't think it is the kind of incident you are likely to forget.

"It is the sort of thing that sticks in your mind and he may have gone home and told the wife about it.

"We need to speak to him. He may not have realised where exactly the incident took place, hence the reason he has not come forward.

"So we will want to use the Crimewatch programme to show a few local landmarks to help jog this man's memory."

Officers also want to hear from anyone who was in the Kingston area of West Sussex on the night of Sarah's disappearance between 6pm and 9.25pm.

Sarah was abducted after she left a field close to her grandparents' house.

And police will use the show to appeal to motorcyclists and truckers who use the Toat Cafe, close to where Sarah's body was found.

Police believe they may hold valuable information but have yet to realise its significance.

Crimewatch will be shown next Wednesday, November 8.