The largest Roman Catholic archdiocese in America has agreed to pay $660m to hundreds of people who claim they were abused by clergy.

The deal, reached by the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Los Angeles, is the largest payout in the history of the Church's sex abuse scandal.

It is worth about £324m and means that around 500 alleged victims will each receive more than $1.3m (£639,000).

The case had been scheduled to go to trial today in Los Angeles Superior Court, with 12 plaintiffs who accused a former priest of molesting them. The latest settlement means that the Church in America has paid out more than $2bn since 1950.

Meanwhile, it emerged that the head of the Catholic Church's child protection unit in England and Wales has resigned from the post.

Eileen Shearer, director of the Catholic Office for the Protection of Children and Vulnerable Adults in England and Wales, has left "to pursue other interests in child protection".

The move comes as the Cumberlege Commission's report, which made 72 recommendations, told the Church in England and Wales that there was still "room for improvement" in tackling child abuse.