Parents will be able to check whether people who have access to their children are convicted paedophiles, the Government announced today.

The scheme will be piloted by police in Cambridgeshire, Hampshire, Cleveland and Warwickshire before being rolled out nationwide if successful.

It will allow single mothers to ask police whether potential boyfriends have child sex convictions before they start a relationship, said Home Secretary Jacqui Smith.

And family members or neighbours who regularly look after children could also be checked.

The news was welcomed by the parents of murdered eight-year-old Sarah Payne, who have called for details of convicted paedophiles living in the community to be made available to parents.

Sarah's mother Sara Payne launched the campaign for "Sarah's Law" after her daughter was killed in 2000 by Roy Whiting, a paedophile previously jailed for indecent assault.

She said: "These new trials are a major step forward, helping us to protect our children and making it harder for those that prey on them to hide under the veil of state-assisted secrecy.

"For that we applaud the Home Secretary and her team, but there is still much work to be done."

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