One of the county's most important stately homes opens to the public today for its summer season.

Boughton House in Geddington, between Kettering and Corby, was built in the 18th Century and contains a world-class collection of art and antiques, including paintings by El Greco and Van Dyck.

The house, which is known by some as "England's Versailles" and was used in the film version of the musical Les Miserables, is only ever open to the public during the month of August.

Elizabeth Rizzini
BBC Look East weather

Today's weather will be a lot nicer than yesterday's.

Instead of all that heavy rain, we may see just one or two passing light showers, especially in the west of the region.

It is, however, going to be quite windy with a blustery south-westerly wind, which will become very gusty as we head through the afternoon.

Highs of 21C (70F).

Kris Holland
BBC News

Welcome to live updates for Northamptonshire on Thursday, 3 August.

We'll be here until 18:00 keeping you up-to-date with the latest news, sport, weather and travel as it happens.

You can get in touch with the team by email, Twitter, external and Facebook, external.

Kris Holland
BBC News

That's it for Wednesday's Local Live; we'll be back at 08:00 on Thursday.

Scroll down the feed to look back at today's stories...

Have a good evening.

David Webb was injured when the crane collapsed at a building site in June.

Dan Holley
BBC Look East weather

It will be cloudy this evening with occasional outbreaks of rain, but this gradually easing overnight to leave a few clear spells later.

Southwesterly winds will ease somewhat during the early hours, and feeling quite warm and muggy with temperatures only dropping to 13C (55F) at the end of the night.

Thursday will be windy with sunny spells and occasional cloud, and just a few isolated fast-moving showers. Temperatures will peak at 22C (72F).

Find the latest weather where you live on the BBC Weather site.

A topping out ceremony has marked one year until the University of Northampton's new £330m Waterside Campus opens.

The campus at Nunn Mills Road will replace the university's current sites on St George's Avenue and at Moulton Park in the town.

A wildlife trust says trees were damaged when a digger was stolen and driven into a lake at a nature reserve in Northamptonshire.

Police were called to Ebbw Vale Road between Irthlingborough and Higham Ferrers at about 07:00 on Tuesday after the digger was spotted in the water.

The Beds, Cambs and Northants Wildlife Trust has released a statement on its Facebook page, revealing the extent of the damage:

"Unfortunately there is damage to trees, some of which have been felled, and to the hand rails on the walkways of the reserve. Whilst the digger was removed from the lake last night, the railway line was also damaged, which has been repaired today.

"On the advice of the Environment Agency, the Trust has been using a boom and pads to soak up the diesel that leaked from the digger into the lake. Due to the prevailing winds, the fuel has fortunately remained in a small corner and therefore we hope that any possible disturbance to wildlife is minimal, but we are monitoring the situation.

"The fencing over the handrails was pulled down last night, so repairs have again been made today, but these will need to be permanently fixed."

The trust thanked local volunteers for their help.

It'll become increasingly windy this afternoon, with the potential for heavy rain at times.

Tonight, the rain will clear but more showers are expected by dawn.

The high is 18C (64F).

BBC Weather has more local forecasts.

Allen Cook
BBC Local Live

A third man who was hurt when a crane collapsed in Crewe has died, external, more than a month after the incident happened, police say.

Two building workers, David Newall, who was 36, from Bradford, and 18-year-old Rhys Barker, from Castleford, West Yorkshire, had already been named as having been killed when the collapse happened on 21 June on Dunwoody Way.

Today, Cheshire Police said David Webb (pictured), who was 43, and originally from Northampton but living in St Neots, Cambridgeshire, had died from the injuries he suffered.

Image source, Cheshire Police

His family have described him as a "fun loving character who lived his life to the full".

Cheshire Police say their investigation, alongside the Health and Safety Executive, the local authority and building control, is still ongoing.

Police say a man was assaulted as he walked along Sheep Street in Northampton.

It happened at about 18:30 on Monday, 31 July when the 37-year-old victim passed three men and one of them punched him before chasing him towards Greyfriars.

Image source, Google

The offender was white, around 40, 6ft, of athletic build and wearing a light coloured t-shirt.

Police would like to speak to anyone who may have witnessed the incident.

The Wildlife Trust for Bedfordshire, Cambridgeshire and Northamptonshire has just shared these images from its operation to salvage a digger which was discovered in a lake at a nature reserve on Tuesday.

Image source, Wildlife Trust BCN

Image source, Wildlife Trust BCN

Image source, Wildlife Trust BCN

The digger had arrived on the site on Monday and had been left in a compound along with a number of cranes and lifting equipment.

It was being used to help replace a bridge girder near the Rushden Lakes shopping centre and to build a foot and cycle path linking the reserves to Stanwick.

Northampton Town chairman Kelvin Thomas and manager Justin Edinburgh will take questions from supporters at an open forum, later.

The event, which is taking place at the club's Sixfields Stadium, starts at 19:00.

On Saturday, the Cobblers begin their new League One season with a trip to Shrewsbury Town having made 12 signings so far in the summer transfer window.

It's also been a busy summer off the pitch, with a Chinese sports development and education firm has agreeing to purchase a 60% stake in the club.

A digger which was driven into a lake - after it was stolen from a nature reserve in Northamptonshire - has been recovered.

Police were called to Ebbw Vale Road between Irthlingborough and Higham Ferrers at about 07:00 on Tuesday, but the recovery of the vehicle was not completed until about 23:30.

Describing the damage, reserves manager for Beds, Cambs and Northants Wildlife Trust, told the BBC: "The damage that was done was mainly due to fuel leaking out of the machine.

"There was an effort to put a boom and pads to soak up all the fuel and the prevailing wind was blowing any spillage into one corner [of the lake], so the weather conditions were in our favour luckily."

The digger had arrived on the site on Monday and had been left in a compound along with a number of cranes and lifting equipment.

It was being used to help replace a bridge girder near the Rushden Lakes shopping centre and build a kilometre of foot and cycle path linking the reserves to Stanwick.

Sam Read
BBC Radio Northampton politics reporter

There is "considerable cause for concern" about how Northamptonshire County Council deals with complaints, according to a watchdog.

A report by the local government ombudsman, external has catalogued a series of concerns about the authority.

It gives examples of complainants waiting more than seven weeks for a response and how documents couldn't be accessed because no one knew a computer password.

In another case the ombudsman had to threaten to issue legal documents to get a response.

The council said it acknowledges and takes the findings seriously.

It says it has improved its systems over the last year.

Watch the thrilling final over as Birmingham Bears defeat Northamptonshire Steelbacks by two runs in the T20 Blast.

BBC Sport

Birmingham Bears moved to the top of the T20 Blast North Group with a thrilling two-run win against Northamptonshire Steelbacks at the County Ground.

Colin de Grandhomme (37) hit three fours and three sixes as the Bears finished their innings on 172-9.

Adam Rossington (43) and Alex Wakely (52) bolstered Northants' chase but it was not enough as they came up short.

The result means Northamptonshire stay fourth in the North Group, ahead of Thursday's home meeting with fifth placed Lancashire.

BBC Weather

Some brightness to start off this morning but we're expecting cloud and rain as the day progresses.

The main band of rain will arrive by the afternoon with a strenghtening southerly wind.

It's going to feel a little cooler today as well, with temperatures reaching a maximum of 18C that's 64F.

The rain will become more persistent this evening and overnight.

BBC Weather has more local forecasts.

Welcome to live updates for Northamptonshire on Wednesday, 2 August.

We'll be here until 18:00 keeping you up-to-date with the latest news, sport, weather and travel as it happens.

You can get in touch with the team by email, Twitter, external and Facebook, external.

Birmingham Bears go top of the T20 Blast North Group with a two-run win against Northants, while Kent beat Hampshire.