BBC Local Live: Northamptonshire

Northampton Town have been taking the League Two trophy around Northampton, along with Clarence the Dragon - and today they came to the BBC Newsroom.

The club told me the tour has been so popular they've had to extend it into a second week.

And you can see why, everyone gets excited, including me (apologies for the beard). I'm the one of the left...

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Mercedes' Nico Rosberg goes for his fourth consecutive Monaco Grand Prix win this Sunday at Formula One's most challenging circuit.

Santa Pod raceway, on the Northamptonshire border with Bedfordshire, is celebrating 50 years of drag racing.

It was built in 1966 at RAF Poddington - a disused Second World War air base. This weekend the track is hosting its flagship event, the European Drag Racing Championships.

I met Harrold Bull, who was one of the first to race 50 years ago...

It will be a largely dry night across the region with clear spells and patchy cloud. Lows of 9C (48F).

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Tomorrow will be rather cloudy. Although much of the day will be dry, there is the small chance of a few showers developing. Highs of around 19C (66F).

A driving instructor who left two young sisters paralysed after a "road rage" crash in Northamptonshire has been jailed for four-and-a-half years.

Andrew Nay, 39, crashed his Land Rover into the girls' family car as he made a right turn across oncoming traffic on the A509 near Wellingborough.

Katrina Raiba, now six, and her sister Karlina, eight, have been left paralysed from the waist down.

The girls' parents said they would "never be able to forgive" Nay.

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There are four Saints players in the England team for their game against Wales on Sunday at Twickenham.

They'll be up against their team-mate, George North, who starts on the wing for Wales.

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The Santa Pod circuit on the edge of Northamptonshire is looking back on 50 years of drag racing - where the cars can go pretty fast...

Santa Pod, which sits close to the border with Bedfordshire, is the most famous drag racing track outside of America and it’s celebrating 50 years of racing this spring.

This weekend it hosts the European Drag Racing Championships, but I've met someone who was here at the start...

Northamptonshire take on Derbyshire at Wantage Road in the T20 competition tonight and I got thinking... how hard can it be?

So this is how I got on when I faced the club's bowling machine...

In 2000 - on this day - Northampton Saints won their first major trophy, the Heineken Cup.

The Saints beat Munster 9-8 in the final at Twickenham thanks to a boot of Paul Grayson.

Paul Calland, from South Northants Homes, says the current housing system, which has lead to shortage of homes is "madness".

He told me the lack of affordable rented property and social housing is leading to a rise in homelessness and that the government is "going in the wrong direction".

Email Message: As the father of 19-year old Bryony Hollands, killed in August last year by a drink/drug driver, I am appalled at yet another example of dangerous driving being punished by a relatively short sentence. This is not the fault of the court - maximum sentence for causing serious injury by dangerous driving is only five years and some credit had to be given for Nay's guilty plea - but an ongoing failure by Parliament to change the law and reflect the severity of these crimes. Nay will automatically be released halfway through his sentence as it is a determinate length, ie... in a little over two years, yet Katrina and Karlina, their family and friends will live with this for far longer. There was speculation in a number of the national newspapers last Wednesday before the Queen's Speech that Parliament was considering changes to make death by dangerous driving cases to be charged or sentenced in line with manslaughter, yet not a word of it in the speech. How long will the government continue to hide behind "reviews of sentencing later this year" and letters from Michael Gove MP stating the sentence continues because the offender is still on licence for the remaining half?

from Mark Hollands (Father of Bryony Hollands)

As the father of 19-year old Bryony Hollands, killed in August last year by a drink/drug driver, I am appalled at yet another example of dangerous driving being punished by a relatively short sentence. This is not the fault of the court - maximum sentence for causing serious injury by dangerous driving is only five years and some credit had to be given for Nay's guilty plea - but an ongoing failure by Parliament to change the law and reflect the severity of these crimes. Nay will automatically be released halfway through his sentence as it is a determinate length, ie... in a little over two years, yet Katrina and Karlina, their family and friends will live with this for far longer. There was speculation in a number of the national newspapers last Wednesday before the Queen's Speech that Parliament was considering changes to make death by dangerous driving cases to be charged or sentenced in line with manslaughter, yet not a word of it in the speech. How long will the government continue to hide behind "reviews of sentencing later this year" and letters from Michael Gove MP stating the sentence continues because the offender is still on licence for the remaining half?

Mark Hollands' daughter Bryony was killed by drunk driver Thomas Burney in August last year.

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The mother and grandmother of a six-month-old baby who was mauled to death by a dog have appeared in court.

Molly Mae Wotherspoon died after an American pit bull attacked her in Daventry on 3 October  2014.

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Claire Riley, Molly Mae's mother, and grandmother Susan Aucott were both charged with being in charge of a dangerously out of control dog which caused injury to Molly Mae resulting in her death. 

Aucott has previously entered a plea of not guilty, and Riley entered a not guilty plea at Northampton Crown Court today. 

Judge Rupert Mayo granted the pair bail until their trial which is due to start at Northampton Crown Court on June 7.

Andrew Nay, 39, of Harrier Close, Weldon, Corby, has been jailed for four-and-a-half years for causing a crash which left two young sisters paralysed.

• It dominated the local papers including the Northamptonshire Telegraph, which reports that Nay said in court it was was a “split second” decision of bad driving.
• The Mail Online quotes witness Leslie Miller who said of the manoeuvre: 'It was absolutely ridiculous."
• While the Irish Independent report that the parents of the paralysed sisters, Karlina and Katrina Raiba, "will never be able to forgive" Nay.

In a statement read out in court, Andrew Nay said he was "truly sorry for all hurt and pain I've caused".

It continued: "Never did I intend to cause the accident and cause so much pain and upset. I wake up knowing what I've done. I hate myself. I wish I could change things."

In jailing Nay, 39, of Harrier Close, Weldon, Corby, for four and half years, Judge Adrienne Lucking said no sentence could "bring back normal lives for the children", which have been left paralysed by the crash.

Outside court, the victims' solicitor, Richard Langton (right) said there was "huge disparity" between the five year maximum sentence available in this case and that for death by dangerous driving, which is 14 years.

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Andrew Nay, 39, of Harrier Close, Weldon, Corby, has been jailed for four-and-a-half years for causing a crash which left two young sisters paralysed.

Mr Langton said he felt that had the judge been able he would have given Nay a longer sentence, but she was "constrained by the law".

Andrew Nay, 39, of Harrier Close, Weldon, Corby, has been jailed for four-and-a-half years for causing a crash which left two young sisters paralysed.

Speaking outside court, the girl's father Roberts Raibais said Nay 'should be banned from the road'.

Nay will have to re-take his driving test when he comes out of prison.

Email Message: As the father of a young woman killed by two idiots racing almost two years ago, I have found this story very upsetting and the manner in which these two innocent girls have had their lives changed is disgraceful. If only we could leave this car culture of bigger more powerful cars going faster and faster with little regard for others behind us.

from Gerard McManus (father of Rebecca McManus)

As the father of a young woman killed by two idiots racing almost two years ago, I have found this story very upsetting and the manner in which these two innocent girls have had their lives changed is disgraceful. If only we could leave this car culture of bigger more powerful cars going faster and faster with little regard for others behind us.

Mr McManus's daughter Rebecca was killed when a car ploughed into a bus shelter she was standing at in May 2014.

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Jaguar Land Rover have said in a statement it is "deeply saddened by this terrible incident and our thoughts are with the Raibais family".

Andrew Nay was a Jaguar Land Rover manager and also was a lead off-road driving instructor for the company.

The company said: "We can confirm that Andrew Nay is no longer an employee of Jaguar Land Rover."

Nay, 39, of Harrier Close, Weldon, Corby, has been jailed for four-and-a-half years for causing a crash, which left two young sisters paralysed.