David Keller
BBC News

Thanks for joining us for today's Local Live, on the day when Northamptonshire Police resumed searches for missing teenager Sarah Benford who disappeared 16 years ago. You can catch up with the story as it broke below.

We'll bring you any overnight developments when we're back at 08:00 tomorrow, along with other news stories, sport, weather and travel updates for Northamptonshire.

Hope you'll join us then.

Alex Dolan
BBC Look East weather

It will be staying cloudy tonight with some spots of drizzle, with lows of 3C (37F).

A cloudy start tomorrow with some spots of light rain. Becoming drier with sunny spells, and highs of 9C (48F).

Pete Cooper
BBC Local Live

What is going to happen to the old Greyfriars bus station site in Northampton is going to be made public next month.  

A year after its demolition, the borough councillor in charge of the redevelopment, Tim Hadland, said it was "encouraging" three developers were putting forward plans, but added schemes like this "do take a long time".

BBC Travel

There are two lanes closed on the M1 southbound between junction 15 (Northampton) and junction 14 (Milton Keynes) due to an accident involving two cars.

Meanwhile, on the A45 both ways there is disruption between Daventry and Braunston because of an overturned lorry.

Daventry Express

New wildflower meadows are set to be established across Daventry district as part of a community project to support pollinating insects and encourage biodiversity, external.

Pete Cooper
BBC Local Live

Cosmetics company Avon plans to move its global headquarters to Britain and cut 2,500 jobs worldwide as part of a turnaround plan.

Image source, Getty Images

In a statement, the company said, external it would move from New York to the UK "over time". I asked whether it would move the operations to its existing UK headquarters in Northampton, but a spokesman said he had "no further update at this time".  

Details have also not been given of where the jobs will be lost. Avon currently has 28,300 employees.  

Pete Cooper
BBC Local Live

The opposition leader on Northampton Borough Council, Labour's Danielle Stone, has called for local buses to return to the site of the Greyfriars Bus Station, demolished a year ago today.

Many residents have complained to BBC Radio Northampton and Ms Stone about Greyfriars' replacement - the North Gate Bus Station - saying it is too small, poorly located and often causes gridlocked traffic.

However, the Conservative councillor responsible for regeneration, Tim Hadland, said he "hadn't had a single complaint" about the new station, but did say part of the site would be a coach interchange.

Sarah Foster
BBC Radio Northampton

If you're catching up:

• Detectives searching an area of woodland near Kettering for clues to what happened to a missing Northamptonshire teenager Sarah Benford have found a handgun
• Cosmetics company Avon, which has its UK headquarters in Northampton, is to move its global headquarters from the US to Britain as part of a restructuring process
• One year on from the demolition of Northampton's Greyfriars bus station, the council said the main idea for the site will be made public next month

Northamptonshire Telegraph

Kettering Town have released an update, external on their search for a long-term answer to their ongoing stadium issues.

Pete Cooper
BBC Local Live

The Northampton Chronicle & Echo is reporting that the lead officer said the Sarah Benford search was "like finding a needle in a haystack, external". It also has details of the gun found during searches in Warkton, external.

Meanwhile, the Northamptonshire Telegraph has a video of the search, external and says police may be searching for items dumped by those connected to Sarah's disappearance.

A family video released at the turn of the millennium shows Sarah Benford singing and dancing about 18 months before she disappeared in April 2000.

Image source, Northamptonshire Police

Officers have reviewed the murder case ahead of what would have been Sarah's 30 birthday this Saturday.

Anyone with information about her disappearance has been asked to speak to police or contact Crimestoppers, external anonymously.

At the time of Sarah Benford's disappearance it was believed the 14-year-old had been involved with drugs and was lured into prostitution.  

Sarah was last seen by her mother in Kettering town centre on 6 April 2000, two days after absconding from the care home.  

At the time she was wearing patchwork dark blue jeans, an orange fleece, black Puffa jacket, cream trainers and was carrying a navy and green rucksack.  

David Keller
BBC News

The rusted gun, found in woodland near Kettering as police try to find the body of Sarah Benford, "appears to have been in place for some time", according to police.

Officers are searching woods on the outskirts of Warkton after interviewing 20 people during a cold case review.

David Keller
BBC News

Police have found a handgun during a search for missing Sarah Benford's body in woodland near Kettering.

Image source, Northamptonshire Police

Det Ch Insp Martin Kinchin said: "A thorough search of the woodland is taking place because we have recently been told the area was used for storing stolen goods and other items. 

"At this stage there is no evidence to suggest the handgun has any connection to Sarah and her disappearance, but it does reinforce how important it is to search this piece of land. 

"We want to hear from anyone who may have any information about Sarah's disappearance, or who may have information about how this piece of woodland was used by people wanting to hide items, including stolen goods."

Police officers conducting a search of woodland in connection with the disappearance of teenager Sarah Benford have found a handgun.

More to follow.

BBC Weather Watchers

It's becoming more Spring-like, as you can see from this picture from BBC Weather Watcher 'nicksgarden'.

There will be some brightness but also further cloud later, with a high of 9C (48F).

You can find more details on the BBC Weather website.

Sarah Foster
BBC Radio Northampton

Here are your lunchtime headlines:

• A new search is being carried out in woodland near Kettering in connection with the disappearance of Northamptonshire teenager Sarah Benford 16 years ago
• Ideas for the Greyfriars site in Northampton will be made public next month
• The chief executive of the East Midlands Ambulance Service is to stand down sooner than expected

Tom Percival
BBC Radio Northampton

The lead detective in the murder investigation of Sarah Benford, Det Ch Insp Martin Kinchin, says police are searching an area of woodland near Warkton because of new information, some of which was provided by people who knew Sarah.

He said those who knew the 14-year-old are now "empowered" to come forward.

Tom Percival
BBC Radio Northampton

Det Ch Insp Martin Kinchin told me he couldn't judge the original police investigation by today's standards because technology has changed.

He said nowadays "we go everywhere with our mobile phones and are tracked by apps and our mobile communication data, but [in 2000] we relied on house phones and phone boxes, so it was a different landscape".    

Pete Cooper
BBC Local Live

Teenager Sarah Benford still hasn't been found despite a cash reward for information being offered twice.

In early 2001, Northamptonshire Police and social services offered a £500 reward, but that was increased a year later to £1,000.

A year after that, in 2003, the missing persons case was upgraded to murder.