Caroline Densley
BBC Radio Northampton sport

Northampton Town boss Justin Edinburgh has appointed Pablo Garcia as the club's new fitness coach.

Garcia was previously at the club under Chris Wilder and was part his backroom staff when the Cobblers won League Two last season.

Image source, NTFC

Edinburgh told the club's website, external: "Pablo has been operating in the role for a couple of weeks and I have been impressed with his work.

"I know he played an important role at the club last season. He has the respect of the players and I am pleased to bring him back to the club."

Edinburgh took over last month after Chris Wilder's successor Rob Page was sacked following a string of defeats.

Pete Cooper
BBC Local Live

Jim Hakewill, a Kettering borough and county councillor, says the fact that two major A-roads are closed for repairs is not a sign the county's highways are in a poor state.

Part of the A6 around Desborough and Rothwell is closed until 28 February, and the A5199 near Spratton is shut until 5 March.

Conservative Mr Hakewill said the A6 issue was "unusual" and the repairs on the A5199 are due to a car hitting the Spratton Sands bridge.

Pete Cooper
BBC Local Live

As well as the closure of the A6, people in Spratton say the closure of the A5199 means drivers are using the village as a cut-through to Brixworth.

The main road is closed been Spratton and Chapel Brampton until 5 March while a bridge is repaired. 

The official diversion is up to the A14 and then back on the A508, but many are using local roads as a shortcut.

Willy Gilder
BBC Radio Northampton

The A6 around Rothwell and Desborough will remain closed until March while repair work continues to a bridge over the River Ise.

A routine inspection uncovered "significant voids" under the tarmac on approaches to the bridge.

Image source, Northamptonshire Highways

Leon Jolly, from Northamptonshire Highways, said engineers were working "night and day" to fix the problem.

However, he said it was a "very rare event", which he hadn't seen before in his 25 years as a road engineer.

Elizabeth Rizzini
BBC Look East weather

Today is due to be very blustery - but mostly dry - during daylight hours although some cloud will push in from the west this afternoon bringing light patchy rain and drizzle in some places.

Maximum temperature: 10C (50F).  

The Met Office, external has issued a yellow warning of wind as gales are expected on Friday and into Saturday morning with inland locations likely to see a relatively short period of 40-50 mph gusts.  

There are more details on the BBC Weather website.

Pete Cooper
BBC Local Live

We are here with live updates for Northamptonshire.

Today we'll be takeing a look at the road closures which are affecting the county.

Plus we'll be building up to a busy weekend of sport, with Northampton Town heading to Walsall and Northampton Saints taking on the Scarlets in the Anglo-Welsh Cup plus the start of the Six Nations.

But first up the windy weather forecast.

Trial of couple accused of total of 103 offences, including rape and child sex, to last seven weeks.

Live updates for Northamptonshire have now finished.

You can read more about the new police jobs announced today on our website.

Meanwhile, if you want find out more about the Saints players gearing up for the Six Nations head to the BBC Sport website.

Any breaking news will appear here through the evening and tonight.

We'll be back tomorrow from 08:00. See you then.

Listen to live BBC Radio Northampton commentary from the Anglo-Welsh Cup as Northampton Saints host Scarlets.

Alex Dolan
BBC Look East weather

Apart from the odd shower it will be a mostly dry night with clear spells developing. A cooler night than last night as winds ease, with lows of 5-7C (41-45F).

A cooler start tomorrow with some early sunshine. Turning cloudy later, with patchy rain spreading in by the afternoon. 

The rain will be accompanied by freshening winds, with gusts of 40-50mph possible overnight. Highs tomorrow of 10C (50F).

There are more details on the BBC Weather website.

Five men have been arrested on suspicion of cultivation of cannabis after a raid at a factory.

Relive the action as Nottingham Forest edge out Aston Villa, after Newcastle return to the top of the Championship.

Pete Cooper
BBC Local Live

Northampton Saints' number eight Louis Picamoles will face off against his Saints team-mates as he takes his place in the France side to face England on Saturday.

Image source, Getty Images

Picamoles, 30, will be up against Dylan Hartley, Courtney Lawes and his club captain Tom Wood.

Stuart Ratcliffe
BBC Look East

The trial of a Northampton couple charged with 103 offences, including rape and abuse against children, has begun at Leicester Crown Court.

Nicholas Taylor, 47, and Joan Taylor, 43, from Briar Hill, are accused of abusing 11 children, both male and female, as well as supplying Class A drugs.

The prosecution said the alleged crimes began in 1996 until 2006 and occurred mostly at the Taylor's house on Pitstone Road.

Nicholas Taylor controlled the alleged sexual offending and his behaviour was "bullying", "manipulative" and "dangerous", the court was told.

The jury also heard the children were given crack cocaine before being allegedly abused.

The couple deny the charges and the case is expected to last seven weeks.

Pete Cooper
BBC Local Live

Police have uncovered a massive cannabis factory in the village of Crick.

Officers say all 10 rooms of the house on Church Street were being used to grow the plants "on an industrial scale".

Police are in the process of removing hundreds of mature plants and equipment and have arrested five men.

Image source, Northamptonshire Police

Image source, Northamptonshire Police

Image source, Northamptonshire Police

Amy Woodfield
BBC Local Live

Thanks to Vic Foster for explaining the Hare Pie Scramble to me after seeing this...

Image source, Homer Sykes

Pete Cooper
BBC Local Live

The Grade I-listed Apethorpe Palace, formerly known as Apethorpe Hall, is up for an award for its restoration work.

The Current Archaeology Awards, external, run by the magazine of the same name, have nominated the work on the Jacobean building in the east of the county, carried out by English Heritage, external.

Frenchman Jean Christophe Baron Pfetten bought Apethorpe Palace in 2014 for £2.5m.

English Heritage had spent £8m on preserving the building after a previous owner left it in a poor state of repair.

Pete Cooper
BBC Local Live

Elsewhere in Northamptonshire:

• A group of businesses in Northampton are calling for a fresh vote on the town centre's Business Improvement District, reports the Northampton Chronicle and Echo, external
• The Daventry Express says, external a reward has been offered after a business near Daventry was burnt out in a suspected arson attack
• AFC Rushden & Diamonds boss Andy Peak has told the Northamptonshire Telegraph, external he hopes the club's members will vote to send the club back to Rushden

BBC Weather

This afternoon there will be outbreaks of rain and it'll be often cloudy, though some brighter periods are likely. 

While it will be relatively mild, it may not feel it in the wind with a high of 10C (50F).

There are more details on the BBC Weather website.

Amy Woodfield
BBC Local Live

A nice video about some slightly odd customs performed across the UK in the 1970s - including one in Leicestershire...

Hare Pie Scramble... can someone please explain?