Tens of thousands of pounds’ worth of flavoured gin has been stolen from the back of a lorry in Northampton.

Image source, Google

The HGV trailer was parked in Stone Circle Road on the Round Spinney Industrial Estate between 18:15 on 8 June and 06:30 the following morning when 1,729 bottles of Masons Rhubarb and Pink Gin were stolen, worth more than £34,500.

Northamptonshire Police said officers would like to speak to anyone who may have seen any suspicious vehicles or activity in the area between the stated times, or who may have been offered the alcohol for sale in unusual circumstances.

How is the first day of compulsory face masks on public transport in England being received by commuters?

• Pictures in the Cambridge News, external show the queues at shops as lockdown restrictions are eased
• The Ely Standard, external reports on non-essential shops reopening in the city
• The Peterborough Telegraph, external says garden waste bin collection are going on hold and binmen self-isolate

Bedfordshire attractions Whipsnade Zoo and Woburn Safari Park have reopened.

Whipsnade, external has set a limit of 3,000 people per day.

Woburn is open for car drive-through visits only and the park's website, external said it had sold-out for 15-21 June, but would be reviewing ticket availability on a "daily basis".

Image source, South Beds News Agency

Meanwhile, one of those "classic" images of the East of England is due to return in a couple of weeks:

Boreham Wood chairman Danny Hunter says he has remortgaged his house to help the club get through the coronavirus pandemic.

Martin Barber
BBC News

As hundreds of non-essential shops reopen for the first time today in months, shoppers in Norwich are encouraged to respect social distancing and take notice of the many one-way signs for moving around the city.

The city's market, featuring nearly 90 businesses, is asking visitors to use the narrow rows in alternate up and down directions.

Early visitors to the market today seemed to be observing the one-way system, though shoppers coming into the city down St Stephens Street, which asks people to use each side of the street for one direction only, were rather more oblivious to the request clearly marked on the pavement.

Live updates following the death of a pilot after a F-15C Eagle crashed into the North Sea.

• The Eastern Daily Press reports, external that a car dealership has reopened after disinfecting all of its vehicles
• Meanwhile, the Great Yamouth Mercury, external writes on how coronavirus could change courts in the long-term
• And Norfolk Norfolk News reports, external that coronavirus is retreating faster in the east of England than anywhere else in the country

Singer Anna Steiger will perform from Chelmsford, exactly a century after Dame Nellie Melba.

Northampton Town will have the backing of more than 900 supporters in their League Two play-off semi-final first leg on Thursday... albeit in cardboard form.

Amid restrctions relating to the coronavirus pandemic, the club are one of a number giving supporters the chance to be at matches in virtual form.

The Cobblers finished seventh after their league was curtailed and final standings settled on a points per game ratio.

They will face Cheltenham Town over two matches for a place in the play-off final at Wembley on 29 June, with Colchester facing Exeter in the other tie.

• BBC Sport: Northampton Town

• The Ipswich Star, external has a first look inside the brand new Copleston High School building, as it opens for lessons amid the pandemic
• Bury Free Press, external writes that a local charity is predicting food bank demand to soar after coronavirus redundancies

A bomb disposal unit removes a mortar from Covehithe beach "without incident" police say.

Cambridge beat Oxford to win the first virtual Boat Race, with both teams competing on rowing machines at home.

Each team of eight collectively rowed 6.8km to raise money for Cambridge-based sport inclusion charity Power2Inspire, external.

The annual Boat Race between the university rivals was due to take place on the River Thames in London on 29 March, but the event was cancelled due to the coronavirus pandemic.

Three-time Olympic champion Pete Reed, who was paralysed from the chest down after a spinal stroke in 2019, competed for Oxford.

Reed was joined by Paralympic champion Grace Clough and world champion Oliver Cook, while Olympic champion Tom Ransley was part of the Cambridge team.

• BBC Sport: Rowing

Jozef Hall
BBC Radio Cambridgeshire

Anyone travelling on public transport in England must wear a face covering from Monday.

More than 3,000 extra staff, including police officers, are on duty at bus and railway stations across the country to make sure people comply.

This has been the scene at Cambridge's main railway station this morning...

Passengers without a covering will be asked to wear one. If they refuse, they may not be allowed on board or they could be fined £100.

People with certain health conditions, disabled people and children under the age of 11 will be exempt from the rule.

• Read more here

Those who have gathered at the protest say people are "respecting space" and wearing face masks.

Anglia Region Theatre School had to find a way to reach their pupils when coronavirus hit.

The NHS hospital physiotherapist who helps Covid-19 patients wants to make her young family proud.

What's changed during the break and what are the big questions for each club as the Premier League returns?

Matt Precey
BBC Look East

Government statistics recording the latest number of daily coranavirus deaths , externalshow an increase of five in the region's hospitals, taking the regional total to 3,866.

The deaths, listed by NHS trust, were:

• Luton and Dunstable: 2
• North West Anglia (Peterborough and Hinchingbrooke hospitals): 1
• West Hertfordshire: 2

Friday's statistics showed a rise of 15 deaths, with a rise of seven in Thursday's figures.

The total number of Covid-19 deaths across the UK now stands at 41,698.

We will be bringing you all the latest pandemic news from across the East of England - from the latest statistics to how key workers and our communities are coping... and other updates as well.

If you have a story you wish to share - good or bad - please contact BBC News Online (East).

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