THE Government last night ruled out allowing the public unrestricted access to the Sex Offenders Register, but promised to toughen the laws protecting children from paedophiles in the wake of the murder of Sarah Payne.

Home Secretary David Blunkett is to meet Sarah's parents tomorrow to listen to their pleas for the introduction of a "Sarah's Law".

Yesterday, Mr Blunkett vowed to put a Bill before Parliament within the year promising tougher sentences for convicted paedophiles.

And last night, while the Home Office ruled out giving the public "uncontrolled" access to the sex offenders' register, a spokesman said the Government was proposing to allow "community representatives" to play a role in managing sex offenders.

The News of the World yesterday recommenced its controversial name-and-shame policy, which was criticised for inciting disorder around the country when it was first ran last year, highlighting seven paedophiles.

Editor Rebekah Wade will accompany Sara and Mike Payne to tomorrow's meeting with Mr Blunkett.

The Home Secretary, writing in the Sunday paper, said: "Sarah's death was a terrible tragedy but I believe her legacy will be a safer society in which sex offenders stay longer behind bars."

The news came as a survey published yesterday suggested that eight of out of ten Britons want to see predatory paedophiles imprisoned indefinitely.

The campaign received the cautious backing of Deputy Prime Minister John Prescott, who described the paper's action as "public spirited".

"It is this right to access of information which is much more controversial. The issue is that, if you do it in the way they originally proposed in the News of the World, it will drive it underground."

Cleveland's force hit out at the original name-and-shame campaign after the newspaper named former swimming coach Stephen Featherstone, a convicted sex offender known as Glen, and formerly of Thames Road, Billingham, who had escaped to Spain.

But last night, the force appeared to have softened its approach. A spokeswoman said: "Cleveland Police would certainly release the names of people who are wanted for sex offences if we believed the public could assist in our finding them."

But she cautioned: "There is always a danger of vigilantism or the offender going underground."

Offenders charity Nacro said identification of sex offenders' whereabouts "would be a disaster for child safety".

A spokesman said it was hoped that the paper's campaign helped to find the men.

"But to claim this is the same thing as public notification of all sex offenders in an area shows the campaign is simply confused and incoherent," he said.