Soccer club's troubles made into a playpublished at 16:34 British Summer Time 17 May 2017
The audience will be taken around the stadium for the performance.
Read MoreSummary
Updates on Friday, 19 May 2017
Disruption on trains at Corby, Kettering and Wellingborough
Northampton General Hospital unveils Abington Park mural
Rockingham Horse Trials get under way
Soccer club's troubles made into a playpublished at 16:34 British Summer Time 17 May 2017
Raccoon rampages around family's homepublished at 16:16 British Summer Time 17 May 2017
The wayward critter got in through a catflap, stole food and terrified a cat before taking a nap in a corner.
Read MoreNice weather for duckspublished at 16:11 British Summer Time 17 May 2017
Stuart Bailey
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End of twitter postMansfield bring in defender Diamondpublished at 15:57 British Summer Time 17 May 2017
Mansfield continue their rebuilding for the new season by signing experienced former Northampton centre-back Zander Diamond.
Read MoreSaints players ready for 'massive' weekpublished at 15:37 British Summer Time 17 May 2017
Graham McKechnie
BBC Radio Northampton sportNorthampton Saints players are determined to make the most of the second chance they've been handed in Europe, according to centre Luther Burrell.
Saints take on Connacht on Saturday afternoon in a play-off which could see them go back into the Champions Cup next season.
They've gone into the play-off as a result of finishing seventh in the table, although they also had to rely on Gloucester losing to Stade Francais in the Challenge Cup Final.
Image source, Getty ImagesBurrell said: "We have our own WhatsApp group and as soon as that game had finished we were straight on it saying 'look lads, it's another chance, let's push on and go again'.
"It's just like another training week for us. Everyone's really buying into this week because it's massive.
"We want to be playing in the big competition, we want to be playing in Europe and testing ourselves against the best players, so we know exactly what's on the line this week."
Afternoon weather: Rainpublished at 15:26 British Summer Time 17 May 2017
Staying cloudy with outbreaks of heavy rain, which may turn more persistent and thundery at times.
The showers will clear overnight.
Highs of 16C (61F).
Inquest hears David Brickwood was unlawfully killedpublished at 14:43 British Summer Time 17 May 2017
Craig Lewis
BBC NewsA 74-year-man who died after being attacked in his own home was "unlawfully killed", a coroner has said.
Scrap metal dealer David Brickwood was found covered in blood and wearing only his underpants on September 26, 2015.
Image source, South Beds News AgencyAssistant coroner Hassan Shah heard Mr Brickwood had suffered a significant number of injuries after being attacked in his own home.
The inquest heard he had been assaulted in his bedroom after the door had been kicked in.
One possible motive was Mr Brickwood distrusted banks and kept money in the house in Lindsay Avenue, Abington.
Mr Shah concluded Mr Brickwood died from blood loss caused by incised wounds, some of which involved a serrated knife.
A police investigation is ongoing.
Cat flap raccoon goes on rampage in homepublished at 14:34 British Summer Time 17 May 2017
Helen Burchell
BBC NewsA wily raccoon let itself into a house through a cat flap, terrified the family moggy and rampaged around the property, a man has said.
Image source, Marek ChapanionekMarek Chapanionek spotted the non-native raccoon rifling through his wife's handbag at their home in Denton Road, Horton, as the Northampton Chronicle reported, external.
It was "very unnerving" as the animal advanced towards him with a cereal bar it found in the bag, he said.
"I noticed this dark thing coming out of my wife's handbag, and thought, 'that's a big cat'... that's when our own cat Dotty legged it out of the house".
Image source, Marek ChapanionekHaving failed to open the wrapper, the raccoon ran upstairs into an empty bedroom, opened a chest of drawers and began rifling through clothing, he said.
Eventually Mr Chapanionek trapped the critter in a hallway, where it took a nap before the RSPCA arrived on Tuesday morning to take it it away.
Northampton sign Gateshead's Smithpublished at 14:00 British Summer Time 17 May 2017
Northampton Town sign left-back George Smith from National League side Gateshead for an undisclosed fee.
Read MoreCobblers sign new defenderpublished at 14:00 British Summer Time 17 May 2017
Caroline Densley
BBC Radio Northampton sportNorthampton Town have signed left-back George Smith from Gateshead on a two-year contract, for an undisclosed fee.
Image source, Getty ImagesThe 20-year-old began his career at Barnsley, where he made 86 appearances for their first team.
After a loan spell at Crawley Town, he moved to Gateshead last season, playing 38 times for them.
Cobblers manager Justin Edinburgh said: "David Buchanan did really well for us last season but we didn't always have competition for places - players challenging each other and the necessary depth in the squad - and George's signing helps with that.
"He has performed well in League 1 before and we think he is a very good player with a bright future ahead of him."
Your pictures: A rainy day in Northamptonshirepublished at 13:37 British Summer Time 17 May 2017
Looks like spring is on hold for the time being.
But it'll take more than a few heavy showers to stop our BBC Weather Watchers...
All-rounder Zaib pens Northants dealpublished at 13:20 British Summer Time 17 May 2017
Northamptonshire all-rounder Saif Zaib signs his first professional contract, keeping him at the club until the end of 2018.
Read MoreA look at the paperspublished at 13:01 British Summer Time 17 May 2017
Stuart Bailey
BBC NewsElsewhere in Northamptonshire...
- A man confronted three masked men who broke into his Desborough bungalow, reports the Northants Telegraph, external
- The Northampton Chronicle and Echo says, external that a 42-year-old woman was racially abused on two occasions in the Standens Barn area of Northampton
- The Daventry Express reports, external that an eviction order could be sought to remove a traveller group which has set up camp on a number of sites in the town in the past week
'Time is of the essence' for monument repair planspublished at 11:55 British Summer Time 17 May 2017
Stuart Bailey
BBC NewsWe reported last night that Northampton Borough Council has applied for permission to carry out maintenance work on the town's Queen Eleanor Cross.
Over the past few weeks, heritage campaigners have been warning that the 13th Century monument has been seriously neglected in recent years and called on officials to carry out urgent repairs.
The council is expecting its application to be considered "soon" by the government.
In the meantime, it's considering quotes for the work from contractors.
Historian Mike Ingram said: "It needs to be done properly - we need to take time - but time is of the essence.
"Small pieces of it are falling off and we don't know which piece might fall over tomorrow so, sooner rather than later."
Woman who shed 18 stone named 'greatest loser'published at 11:05 British Summer Time 17 May 2017
Stuart Bailey
BBC NewsA Northampton woman who lost 18 stone (114kg) in three years has won the title of "Slimming World Greatest Loser 2017".
Tracey Topping, 47, who used to weigh 30 stone (190.5kg), struggled to walk short distances and couldn't stand for too long.
She decided to lose weight after a family holiday where she was unable to join her husband and children on walks and other activities.
Image source, Slimming WorldTracey said: "At my heaviest, everything was a struggle.
"I had pains in my knees and ankles, I got out of breath easily and I couldn’t work. I was at a real low.
"If I ever cooked, then it meant just putting fish fingers or burgers and chips in the oven. Now I cook everything from scratch."
Cyber-security forum aims to see off hackerspublished at 10:29 British Summer Time 17 May 2017
Willy Gilder
BBC Radio NorthamptonNorthamptonshire's Police and Crime Commissioner is setting up a new cyber-security forum, to bring together businesses wanting to fight the threat from hackers.
The forum will aim to establish best-practice and knowledge sharing between the police and stakeholder groups including the Chamber of Commerce, the Federation of Small Businesses (FSB), Crimestoppers and industry experts.
The decision to set-up the forum pre-dates last week's worldwide cyber-attack, but illustrates how seriously the issue is being taken by police.
"Fundamentally crime is changing," Simon Clifford from the Police and Crime Commissioner's office told BBC Radio Northampton's breakfast show.
"If you take cyber out of the title, it's just crime. It's the same people perpetrating it and targeting the same target - to extort financial gain from victims."
In the wake of the ramsomware cyber attack that affected NHS systems on Friday, small businesses are being reminded to ensure that their computer security systems are up to date.
"As we've seen from the NHS attacks, these people do not care of the harm they cause. We really need to get ahead of this to reduce crime," Mr Clifford added.
The Federation of Small Businesses says that on average a cyber-crime incident costs a small business victim almost £3,000 and that seven million cyber crimes are committed against small businesses every year.
Wash out at Wantage Roadpublished at 10:00 British Summer Time 17 May 2017
Graham McKechnie
BBC Radio Northampton sportNorthamptonshire's Royal London Cup campaign came to a very damp end at Wantage Road yesterday afternoon.
Their final group match, against Nottinghamshire, was washed out at the County Ground after the Steelbacks posted 79 without loss in the 15th over. Ben Duckett was 56 not out.
It means that Northants - quarter-finalists in the 50 over competition last season - managed just one win from their eight group matches.
Image source, @NorthantsCCC / Twitter"Injuries have severely hampered the squad," said coach and former England batsman James Taylor.
"But ultimately we didn't play as consistently as we wanted to. Individuals played well in phases, but we could never string a total performance together, apart from in the win against Lancashire in Liverpool."
Northamptonshire return to action on Friday, 26 May with a home County Championship Division Two match against Worcestershire.
Premiere of Cobblers playpublished at 09:10 British Summer Time 17 May 2017
Martin Borley
BBC Radio NorthamptonA brand new theatrical experience opens to audiences at the home of Northampton Town Football Club later today.
Previews of The Twelfth Player will take place at Sixfields Stadium today, Friday and Tuesday, ahead of a main run of performances in June and July.
The play follows 70 years of the club's history through the eyes of three generations of a family of Cobblers supporters.
"We're going to take the audience on a journey around what I would call the backstage areas of the stadium," explains co-director Susanne Thomas (pictured right).
Image caption, Co-directors Sophie Jump (left) and Susanne Thomas at Sixfields Stadium
"The changing rooms, the referees room... areas that are not normally permitted for the public."
The production is the result of a collaboration between Fermynwoods Contemporary Art, Royal & Derngate and Northampton Town Football Club.
"It's not just about people who play the game," adds fellow co-director Sophie Jump.
"That's the point of the twelfth player."
Weather: Warm but wet with some heavy downpourspublished at 08:23 British Summer Time 17 May 2017
The long awaited heavier rain has finally arrived with some heavy downpours overnight and this morning.
The rains will gradually dry out in the east and as it does there will be some sunny spells and it will feel warmer.
Further west it is going to stay rather wet thorughout the day. Top temperature of 20C - that's 68F.
BBC Weather has more local forecasts.
Good morningpublished at 08:00 British Summer Time 17 May 2017
Kris Holland
BBC Radio NorthamptonWelcome to live updates for Northamptonshire on Wednesday, 17 May.
We'll be here until 18:00 keeping you up-to-date with the latest news, sport, weather and travel as it happens.
It has been a cloudy and rainy start to the day where I am in Northampton town centre. We'll find out the picture for the rest of Wednesday in the regional forecast shortly.
And don't forget that you can get in touch with the team by email, Twitter , externaland Facebook, external.
