A £50,000 bid to boost public confidence in a district hit by a series of high-profile crimes has been unveiled.

The cash will be spent by Arun Council as part of a Tourism Recovery Plan drawn up in the wake of the death of schoolgirl Sarah Payne and a series of attacks on women.

The council's newly-formed Cabinet is due to approve the package at a meeting on Monday which includes spending £20,000 on a public relations campaign.

Another £25,000 has been earmarked to pay for a major new tourist event in Littlehampton and to support plans to stage a medieval pageant in either Arundel or Bognor.

A report says the plan "is in response to the damage to public confidence caused by adverse national publicity resulting from the Sarah Payne tragedy and other crime-related incidents in Littlehampton and Bognor."

A man has been charged with abducting and murdering eight year-old Sarah who disappeared on July 1 last year after playing in a field near her grandparents' home near Littlehampton.

Her naked body was found 16 days later partially buried in a field at Pulborough. Meanwhile, at neighbouring Bognor a team of detectives is still hunting a man who has raped one woman and attacked at least 14 others.

The investigation, known as Operation Bobcat, has also been featured nationally and led to a reconstruction on the BBC's Crimewatch programme.

A council spokesman said: "Obviously there has been some negative publicity but we also want to improve the package which we have for residents and holidaymakers."

It has not yet been decided what format the major event in Littlehampton will take.

The town is believed to have been chosen because Bognor already hosts attractions such as the Birdman Rally, a free seafront music festival known as Rox On the Prom and Sands of Time, a tribute to the history of the seaside holiday.

The Cabinet will be told the extra cash is likely to be welcomed by the tourist industry which has been lobbying for council action.

If councillors back the recovery plan a specialist events management company is likely to be hired.

The package also includes £5,000 which has been earmarked to improve existing events throughout the district as the summer season gets into full swing.