A ‘catastrophic error’ by a tipper driver led to the death of a Corby woman and her unborn baby daughter, a court has heard.

Laura Smithson was excitedly travelling to work at Rushton Hall on the morning of July 17, 2018, to hand in her maternity leave paperwork when a lorry driven by Robert Jeyes of Boughton Green Road, Northampton, ploughed into her car, killing her instantly.

Jeyes, 45, was at Northampton Crown Court this morning (Friday, April 12) to be sentenced for death by careless driving, which he had admitted at a previous hearing.

Laura’s parents Tim and Sally Smithson were in the public gallery for the hearing, at which Jeyes kept his head bowed throughout the proceedings.

Prosecutor Andrew Peet told the court that Laura was five months pregnant with a baby girl, adding: “She and her partner Ian Traynor were looking forward to the arrival a few months later.”

The couple had been together for four years.

Mr Peet continued: “Laura died instantly as a result of a catastrophic collision with a 21-tonne, fully loaded tipper lorry.”

The lorry driven by Jeyes was travelling on Oakley Road, between Rushton and Corby, when it came across another HGV being driven in the other direction, which was being followed by Laura in her Fiat 500.

The court heard how the road was narrow and Jeyes manoeuvred his lorry to the left, on to the soft verge to avoid the oncoming HGV.

Mr Peet said: “He wasn’t speeding, he was on the right side of the carriageway and he was travelling at 24mph.”

But the verge dipped down deeply and Jeyes’s skip lorry began to overbalance. He tried to recover the vehicle but overcompensated and his lorry fell to the right, on to the car driven by Laura.

Mr Peet added: “He lost control and the lorry veered catastrophically out of control.

“It spun over and into the Miss Smithson as she was driving in the other direction behind the other lorry.

“It caused unsurvivable damage to the Fiat 500.”

Laura died instantaneously and was unaware of what was happening, the court heard.

In moving victim impact statements, Laura’s mother Sally Smithson said that she had not only lost her daughter, but her best friend.

Mr Peet said: “The loss to Mr Traynor and to Laura’s parents will live with them forever.

“Mr Traynor feels he’s lost everything.

“Sally Smithson said it’s left an irreplaceable hole in her life.

“Tim Smithson makes the point that no parent should survive their child.

“Plainly the loss to each of these people and also to those close to the family is irreplaceable and unforgettable.

“Everybody wishes this had never happened.”

In mitigation, the court heard that Jeyes had no previous convictions and a long, unblemished driving record with no points on his licence. He had pleaded guilty at the first opportunity.

He had said that he was truly sorry for what had happened and the court heard how it was something that ‘dominated his thoughts, day in, day out.’

Sentencing Jeyes, Her Honour Judge Adrienne Lucking said: “I want to make it very clear that no sentence I pass today can ever compensate the family.

“You moved your vehicle off the road into the verge.

“That was a catastrophic error.”

Jeyes was sentenced to a 16-week prison sentence, suspended for two years.

He was also ordered to complete 200 hours of unpaid work and will lose his driving licence for two years. He will be made to complete an extended retest if he wishes to reapply for his licence.

READ MORE: Man pays tribute to pregnant partner killed in crash near Corby

A council chief executive involved in plans to create two new unitary authorities in Northamptonshire says that ‘everything is being done at risk’ because as yet a final decision has not been made by the Government.

A decision by the Secretary of State James Brokenshire about whether to scrap Northamptonshire’s eight councils and replace them with two super councils was expected before the Easter break but has not happened because of the Brexit problem.

Since last summer the chief executives and political leaders of the councils have been meeting and staff have been involved in work to plan out some of the details of what the reorganisation could look like.

But speaking at yesterday’s (April 11) health and wellbeing board chief executive of Daventry District Council Ian Vincent said that as no final decision has been made all the work could have been in vain.

He said: “Everything we are doing at the moment is being done at risk. An awful lot of time and money is going into this.

“All authorities have agreed to set up a joint committee. Those are public meetings that have limited terms of reference. But it does give us an opportunity to move forward. A way of short-circuiting eight authorities making decisions on the same issues.

“Government civil servants were getting concerned that we were not making progress that others had made. We are no further behind than Dorset was at this stage. However, the real crux is getting a decision from Government to agree. What we are doing is quite useful whether we integrate or not. We all missed a trick that we could be working together.

“The latest promise is that there will be [a decision] by the end of this month but we have had those sort of promises before.”

The eight councils all committed £500,000 towards the unitary reorganisation but there are concerns the cost of the reorganisation could run above £50m altogether.

Once the Secretary of State makes a decision – which is expected to be in favour as the unitary reorganisation was the Government’s suggestion – there will need to be some legislation passed through Parliament and then two shadow authorities set up.

The original date for the new unitaries was for April next year but there are now suggestions this could be delayed to April 2021.

Ahead of Saturday’s clash with promotion-chasing Mansfield Town, David Buchanan admits the Cobblers ‘owe them one’.

But he also knows that exacting revenge is going to be easier said than done.

Back in September, Town endured arguably the lowest point of a season that has seen quite a few of those when they were humbled 4-0 at Field Mill by a rampant Stags outfit.

The Cobblers hardly got out of first gear in a thrashing that could, and probably should, have been by a bigger margin.

The defeat proved to be final nail in the managerial coffin of then boss Dean Austin, with the loss the fifth in the opening 10 matches of the campaign.

After seeing his team embarrassed, the under-pressure Austin launched into a blistering post-match attack on his players - and was sacked a day later.

It was a painful day for everybody concerned with the Cobblers, and Buchanan is keen to set the record straight at the PTS Academy Stadium on Saturday.

“I think Mansfield will be a tough game, and we all know what happened when we played there,” said the Town left-back.

“We got beat 4-0 and Dean Austin lost his job off the back of it, so we owe them one, but it is going to be a difficult game.”

Mansfield have overcome a recent stutter in form to win their past two games and currently sit pretty in second place in the Sky Bet League Two table.

David Flitcroft’s team are 11 points adrift of leaders and champions-elect Lincoln City, but only one clear of fourth-placed Bury, who have stumbled badly in recent matches.

With five games left, the Stags can’t afford to make any slip-ups, and Buchanan feels the fact they will play positively could be a good thing for the Cobblers - even though they are a team full of strong performers.

“Mansfield have some real quality in their dressing room, they are sitting second in the league at the moment and aiming to secure promotion,” said Buchanan.

“They have a number of players in their team that got named in the EFL League Two team of the year, so we are going to give them the utmost respect, and the respect they deserve.

“But they are going to come here and go for the win, which might be better for us.

“The teams we have played against recently, certainly at home, have sat in and we haven’t really been able to break them down.

“I know Dave Flitcroft well, I played with him, and Ben Futcher, the assistant manager, and make no bones about it, they build their teams off going out and getting on the front foot.

“They like to get after you, and they have threats all over the pitch.

“So we are going to have to prepare in the normal fashion, and we will hopefully find weaknesses to beat them on Saturday.”

The man charged with overseeing the safeguarding of children in the Northamptonshire says he has ‘strong concerns’ about the rapid rise in the number of county children being home-schooled.

Chairman of the Northamptonshire Safeguarding Children Board Keith Makin told the county’s health and wellbeing forum yesterday(Apr 11) the number of children now being schooled by their parents has increased dramatically in the past three years and is allowing children to become ‘hidden’.

According to the latest figures from local education authority Northamptonshire County Council, there are 965 children being home-schooled. This is up from 734 in March 2017.

130 of these children are already known to social services according to the Northamptonshire County Council’s deputy director of children’s services Sharon Muldoon.

The government is looking at bringing in new regulation for home-schooling which is likely to make it compulsory for parents to register their child and also make it a legal duty for local authorities to provide resources for home-schooled children.

Mr Makin, who yesterday also admitted that the county’s safeguarding partnership had not been effective enough in recent times, said the situation in the county was worrying.

He said: “We have strong concerned by the home elective situation, it has doubled in a three-year period. It is a terrific number, just under 1,000 now. There’s a lot who are being electively educated because their parents have chosen to and they construct a programme of education.

“There are other cohorts for whom we have real safeguarding concerns. They are hidden within the system. It is not statutory to oversee them.

“Some changes are now going through Parliament. Although we are not confident as to the timescales and it is still quite a light statutory touch.”

He said the Northamptonshire safeguarding board would now focus on the issue.

Sharon Muldoon said the council’s children’s services had looked at the matter this week and that 13.5 per cent of the home-schooled number were known to social services.

Home-schooling has risen sharply across the country in recent years. Parents have cited school standards, bullying and mental health concerns among reasons to home educate and the head of Ofsted Amanda Spielman has also expressed concern about schools putting pressure on parents to educate their children at home to prevent exclusion.

The standard of education in the county has come into focus in recent weeks. Only two thirds of the 42 secondary schools in the county are good enough according to watchdog Ofsted, although standards are better at a primary level. The county council adopted a motion raised by Labour county councillor Julie Brookfield to ask the regional schools commissioner to get involved whenever a school falls into the ‘requires improvement’ category.

It has also come to light in recent weeks that the county is facing a secondary school places shortage and has had to add extra capacity into six of Northampton’s secondary schools and is having to bus some Corby children to nearby Oundle for a school place.

Between 10am and 3pm on both days, people taking part in Northampton Town Centre BID’s Easter Shoe Trail will be able to enter into an additional prize draw, being organised by Northampton Borough Council and Steffans Jewellers.

Once participants have completed the BID’s shoe-style treasure hunt around 40 businesses and shops in the town centre, they will be able to post their entry forms into a Big Easter Give Away post box on the Market Square (outside of the Market Office) and select a chocolate egg from the Easter bunny’s basket.

Those lucky enough to pull out a silver egg will win one of 25 Silver Spring Egg pendants from Steffans Jewellers.

In addition, children will have the chance to win giant chocolate eggs by getting creative and showcasing their Easter bonnet making skills during a workshop and parade on Saturday 20 April.

The workshop will take place in front of the Market Office with Festive Road, between 11am and 2pm and the parade and prize giving will follow between 2pm and 3pm.

Councillor Anna King, cabinet member for community engagement and safety, said: “We’re excited to be working with Northampton Town Centre BID and Steffans Jewellers to hold fun family activities which not only celebrate Easter but also help to shine a light on the town’s rich shoe heritage.

“We hope lots of people will come into the town centre to take part in the trail and the Easter bonnet making, as well as enter into our prize draw on 19 and 20 April.”

Rob Purdie, BID executive director said: “It’s brilliant to be working with the council, to promote our town’s shoe heritage, which remains one of our key focuses this year. Our month-long shoe hunt is guaranteed to create a real talking point in the town, and this Easter weekend full of eggs, prizes, workshops and enterainment.”

Wes Suter from Steffans, said: “Steffans are delighted to support Northampton’s drive to create fun, intrigue and mystery over Easter. We will be giving away £2000 worth of silver eggs so it should be a great weekend full of happy hunters.”

A series of knife crimes in Kettering have prompted police officers to install a temporary knife arch in the town centre.

A 16-year-old boy stabbed outside McDonald’s in High Street on March 31 was the latest in a line of knife-related incidents in the town in recent weeks.

This weekend officers in Kettering took part in proactive patrols of the town centre’s night time economy to reassure members of the public, leading to three arrests.

The operation ran across the weekend (April 6-8) and involved a number of officers from the Kettering Pro-Active and Neighbourhood policing teams and members of the Special Constabulary.

In addition to high-visibility patrols, and in conjunction with Kettering Pub Watch, officers used handheld metal detectors to scan for weapons at licensed premises as well as set up a knife arch in the town centre.

Kettering Neighbourhood Policing Inspector Scott Little, said: “Following a number of knife related incidents in the town centre, we increased our presence over the weekend to both reassure the public and disrupt those carrying weapons.

“Working with our night time economy partners, we are sending out the message to those who commit offences in Kettering that we will continue to make life more difficult for them to carry weapons in the town.”

As part of the operation officers a 17-year-old girl from Kettering has been charged with Section 4A Public Order offences following an incident of affray in the town’s Silver Street. She has been bailed to appear at Northampton Youth Court on April 30.

A 27-year-old man from Corby received an adult caution after being arrested in Ebenezer Place, Kettering on suspicion of possession of a Class B drug. While a 14-year-old boy from Kettering was arrested on suspicion of common assault in the town’s High Street and has been released pending further enquiries.

Two men from Northamptonshire have been charged in connection with an incident where shots were reportedly fired in Weymouth.

Dorset Police received a report last May of shots being fired near to the Asda supermarket.

There were also reports of a number of men seen running from the scene.

Following a detailed investigation, a 21-year-old man has been charged with possessing a firearm with intent to endanger life and a 19-year-old man has been charged with possessing a firearm. Both are from Northamptonshire.

They are due to appear before Poole Magistrates' Court on Friday, May 17.

A 55-year-old Weymouth man and a 33-year-old Portland man who were arrested on suspicion of conspiracy to murder are no longer under investigation and will face no further police action.

A 22-year-old woman from Weymouth and 48-year-old Weymouth man who were arrested on suspicion of assisting an offender are also no longer under investigation.

After six months in the role, the Grosvenor Centre's new manager James Robert has revealed the next stages of his plans for the town's shopping hub.

He says 2019 will see Grosvenor offer shoppers more leisure options than ever and get involved with the Northamtpon Forward plan to revitalise the town.

James said: "Shopping centres have to adapt and evolve in the same way people do. My team and I are here to make a sustainable business by making an experience-led shopping centre.

"There will be change at the centre regularly. I think it's important for customers to be surprised."

James has come to Northampton fresh from managing the Great Western Arcade retail centre in Birmingham, which went from running with half its units empty when he started to 100 per cent capacity in September 2018.

His team's plans will see the centre offer visitors a blend of leisure and shopping under one roof, which has already begun with the Christmas season's pop-up shops, the ping pong centre and the Screen Northants exhibition.

Work is set to 'imminently' start to convert the former WHSmith into a two-storey River Island outlet. It comes after WHSmith recently moved into Poundworld's vacant unit.

Meanwhile, the centre is working with a yet-unnamed children's charity to reopen the soft play area in the large unit on the top floor - creating a children's play zone four times as large as its predecessor in 2018.

The unit was most recently used by a gin pop up bar over Christmas.

James said: "We're planning on building a colossal chalkboard all along one wall, and gets involved in the decorating by having them paint their hand prints on the walls.

"We also want to include education and charity work at the play centre, and make a place for families built on good will."

Meanwhile, this summer will see a return on free events for families, in the same vein as the Nasty Northampton history talks in 2018.

Lunchtime option Abbie's Kitchen will also join the food and drink options on the top floor before the end of the year.

The centre is also in transitioning through a soft branding redesign - which started with removing the glass awning in Abington Street and could see the sign on the market square removed as well.

James said: "I want to think of different ways of getting customers in and find opportunities to engage with the community.

"We won't tell customers what they want, we want customers to tell us what they want."

The incident happened at the bus stop outside Paddy Power on Abington Square at around 10.30am on February 5 when a woman was waiting for a bus.

Her purse was snatched by a suspect who ran off towards an alleyway near the bookmakers.

Officers have now released an image of man they would like to speak to about the incident. The man, or anyone with information about who he is, should call Northamptonshire Police on 101.

Information can also be shared anonymously via Crimestoppers on 0800 555111.

The Cobblers entertain Mansfield at the PTS Academy Stadium on Saturday, and it is a significant day for Town boss Keith Curle as he comes up against the club that gave him his first chance in football management.

It is also the club that sacked him in December, 2004, with Curle accused of ‘bullying and intimidating a youth team player’.

It was certainly an upsetting and low point in Curle’s footballing career, but it was also complete nonsense.

The former Manchester City and England defender always denied all of the accusations, and to prove it he took Mansfield Town and the chairman who sacked him, Keith Haslam, to court to clear his name.

And clear his name he did.

After a two-day court hearing, Judge Field QC cleared Curle of any wrongdoing, saying he had acted ‘appropriately, professionally and fairly’ at all times, and described Mansfield’s disciplinary process as a ‘sham’.

“It was disappointing it went to court, I won my court case, but unfortunately that doesn’t get highlighted as much,” said Curle, who was initially suspended in November, 2004, before being dismissed a month later.

“I think there were 18 points of order that went to court, and I won every single one of them.

“It is disappointing that you are starting your career and lose your job under accusations, and that you have to take it to court. But it was the right thing for me to do, to clear my name.

“If you are accused of something, you can do no more than take it to the appropriate avenue and you win every single point of order.”

Despite his complete innocence, what happened to Curle is the sort of thing that can severely damage a career, but he has successfully shrugged it off.

He took up the manager’s job at Chester City before his court case win in August, 2006, and has gone on to manage Torquay United, Notts County, Carlisle United and now the Cobblers, as well as being assistant manager to Neil Warnock at Crystal Palace and Queens Park Rangers.

Curle is obviously not happy with Haslam and what he did to him, but he has never let it eat away at him.

“I still see the previous owner in and around Sheffield, and the conversations are pretty short,” said Curle.

“It is one of those where I went to court, I knew I was right, and I knew they were wrong.

“To be honest, right from the outset they knew they were wrong, but that is the way football cub owners sometimes work.

“They know they are wrong but they go down that path and don’t really care about somebody’s name, and that their reputation is at stake.

“I have lost my job before and it’s not nice, but it is one of those things you accept if you have lost your job through not being able to gain enough points, or something else long those lines.

“You have to accept that when that happens, but when somebody accuses you of something you know is not right, then you are well within your rights to take it to court and win your case, which is what I did.

“I think I have learned a lot, and I have changed a lot as a manager and the person I was in my first job to what I am now.”

Although it was a difficult time for Curle, he has never held anything against Mansfield Town as a club, and says he still has ‘fond memories’ of his time at a ‘fantastic football club’.

The high point of his time at Field Mill was steering the Stags to the 2004 division three play-off final, controversially seeing off the Cobblers in the semi-final along the way, although they were beaten in the final by Huddersfield Town, losing a penalty shootout.

Mansfield are once again knocking on the promotion door this season, and an army of close to 1,500 of their supporters are expected in town this weekend to see their clash with the Cobblers.

Curle has nothing but admiration for those supporters, and the club as a whole.

“When I was at Mansfield the Stags fans were good supporters, and they were very vocal,” said the Cobblers boss.

“It culminated in us having a fantastic day out at the Millennium Stadium, and a great play-off final that had everything, and I very much enjoyed my time at the club.

“I was disappointed with how it ended, but I think a lot of the people that know me, knew the football club, know the truth, and that is the important thing for me.

“Mansfield is a fantastic football club, and when I go back there it is a place I have very fond memories of.”

Ricardo Vasconcelas scored a superb century as Northants responded in style to Glamorgan posting an imposing 570 for eight declared on day two of their Specsavers County Championship Division Two clash in Cardiff.

Vasconcelas was the dominant partner, hitting 126 not out, as he and fellow opener Rob Newton posted an unbroken partnership of 234, with the latter making an unbeaten 85.

At the close, Northants still required a further 187 runs to avoid the follow on, but on the evidence of the first two days play, there is little prospect of a positive outcome on such an unresponsive strip.

Glamorgan added 137 runs to their overnight score in the morning session, before declaring during the lunch break.

They lost Billy Root to the fourth ball of the morning, when the debutant left hander struck a low catch to backward point. Root and Kiran Carlson had added 172 for the fifth wicket, before Carlson who added a further 10 runs to his overnight score, was taken at first slip.

Graham Wagg and Marchant De Lange quickly followed, but Chris Cooke then accelerated to strike a rapid undefeated 70 from 87 balls with a six and 10 fours before calling a halt.

Needing a massive 421 to avoid the follow on, Vasconselos and Newton set off confidently, with Vasconelos striking two boundaries in Michael Hogan’s second over, and the 21-year-old from Johannesburg, who has a Portuguese passport, was the dominant partner against the five-man Glamorgan pace attack.

After scoring 56 and 79 in Cardiff last summer, the diminutive left hander was dropped at second slip after scoring 21, and was uneasy at times against Labuschagne’s leg spin, but he deserved his fourth first-class century which included 15 boundaries from 189 balls.

Newton was no less effective, as the pair shared the 150- run stand, with Glamorgan, similar to Northants, using seven bowlers. The most effective was Labuschagne, who was treated with respect and ended his opening spell with the commendable figures of 11-1-29-0.

With the pitch as true as it was when the first ball was bowled on Thursday morning, it will be interesting to see what happens on the final two days. Northants could bat on and put the pitch into perspective or declare if and when they reach maximum batting points.

The latter would be a popular decision with the spectators, especially if they witness a run chase on the final day, otherwise there will be little to interest them if the game meanders to a draw.

Ricardo Vasconcelos was delighted to score an unbeaten century for Northants, but warned that he and his team-mates still have work to do to stay in their Specsavers County Championship Division Two clash against Glamorgan.

Replying to Glamorgan’s mighty first innings total of 570 for eight declared, Northants closed the second day on 234 without loss – a record opening stand for the County against the Welsh side,

Vasconcelos led the way with an unbeaten 126 from 211 balls, while opening partner Rob Newton chipped in with 85 not out from 195 deliveries.

And despite the fact that 804 runs have been scored for the loss of just eight wickets in two days of play, Vasconcelos insisted there is still a lot of work to be done by Northants, who still need 187 more runs to avoid the follow on.

“I am very happy to get my second hundred for the side,” said Vasconcelos, whose previous first-class ton in County colours came last August against Middlesex.

“Glamorgan bowled well to put pressure on us, and you had to concentrate all the time.

“It is essential that we bat well on Saturday, as the pitch could crumble towards the end of the game and cause problems.

“I was also happy to share in the record opening partnership for the club against Glamorgan and hope to continue.”

Glamorgan skipper Chris Cooke says he and his team have to try and keep the pressure on the Northants batsmen.

“Although it is a belter of a pitch, the odd ball is keeping low and we failed to hold on two chances that were created,” he said.

“We will hope to take a few wickets in the morning as they will need to start again, and you never know once wickets start to fall.”

Every single child in care across Northamptonshire will receive an Easter egg this year thanks to the amazing set of donations by you, our readers.

More than 5,000 of the chocolate gifts have now been received by Jeanette Walsh's egg appeal team, with support from the Chronicle and Echo.

Some 500 of our readers dropped off eggs at The Good Loaf in the Mounts and at All Saints Church.

And around 4,500 have been received in bulk donations from businesses around the county such as Nationwide, Shoesmiths Solicitors, Nando's and Bridgewater Primary School.

"You have not let me down," said Jeanette, 60, a former social worker who coordinates the biggest yearly Christmas and Easter appeals in the county.

"The children and the families of the young people in Northamptonshire will be able to enjoy a little chocolate this Easter, I'm really grateful."

Today, the eggs were handed to Northamptonshire County Council's social worker teams to be distributed to struggling families and those children in care who otherwise would not receive any form of gift this time of year.

"These will go to children from disadvantaged families, to our leaving care team, children's homes and those children that are looked after by the county council from Northampton, Daventry, Corby, Kettering, Wellingborough and everywhere in between."

But this year's appeal would not have been possible without your support.

Chron content editor Paul Lynch said: "Our readers never let us down when it comes to an appeal of this sort - and this has been no exception.

"They may not seem much on their own, but each one of your donated chocolate eggs will bring a child some much-needed joy over Easter weekend.

"We can't thank you enough."

And a big thank you has to go to the staff of the Good Loaf in the Mounts, who have been diligently looking after - and neatly arranging - the chocolate gifts you have taken time to bring in.

A big pat on the back to you all!

Members of South Northamptonshire Council’s planning committee agreed to finance the £2,600 scheme on Northampton Road using funds from an 82-home development that was built at Belle Baulk.

The money is available to use as plans to build a number of bus shelters on Watling Street using the funds from the developers, known as section 106 money, have fallen through.

A £40,000 sum had been set aside in July 2015 to build the four bus shelters in the town, but since then only one has been built, adjacent to the Richmond Court sheltered accommodation.

Councillors were told that trial holes dug out by Highways England had revealed that all major utilities ran beneath the proposed locations for the shelters, and these would need to be diverted to accommodate the deep foundations for the agreed style of shelter.

Speaking at the meeting on Thursday (April 11), Councillor Martin Johns said: “Despite our best efforts locally to get bus shelters in the town, and spending many hours in the rain, it’s just proved impossible.”

Since then, alternative ways in which to spend the remaining £36,208 have been explored, and attention has been turned to slowing down vehicles on Northampton Road.

Statistics gathered by Towcester Neighbourhood Watch, who maintain a mobile vehicle activated speed sign on behalf of Towcester Town Council, show there is a ‘serious problem’ with vehicles exiting the A43 onto Northampton Road at excessive speed and motorists are not being impeded by the traffic calming measures already in place.

Installing a permanent flashing sign, warning motorists if they are going too fast, will cost £2,600 and councillors on South Northamptonshire Council’s planning committee - which looks after the pot of money - agreed to reallocate the funds towards the scheme. Northants Highways will still need to grant permission for the installation.

The council papers added: “Whilst it was unfortunate that the installation of bus shelters was not possible, the alternative project currently identified is considered to be an acceptable alternative and in due course other projects will be reported to planning committee to ensure that the funding is spent to meet or mitigate any need or impact arising from the development.”

Sam Foley’s second-half header rescued a point for the Cobblers against promotion-challenging Mansfield Town on Saturday.

Town had began on top at the PTS but Mansfield struck against the run of play when Mal Benning’s corner somehow evaded defenders and attackers alike to find its way into the net.

But in a game devoid of chances, Town levelled with 21 minutes to go as Foley headed in a pinpoint corner from young Scott Pollock, who impressed throughout on his full debut, to hand the home side a deserved point, though the Cobblers did drop a place to 15th in Sky Bet League Two.

Manager Keith Curle sprung a few surprise selections for the visit of high-flying Mansfield. Jack Bridge and Ash Taylor dropped out of the squad altogether, as did Marvin Sordell, and in came teenager Pollock for his first Cobblers start.

Shay Facey was drafted back into the side, his first start since early February, Andy Williams led the line alongside Daniel Powell and there was a long-awaited return to the squad for Brighton loanee George Cox.

Curle also tweaked the system, going back to 3-5-2 with Jordan Turnbull in defence, and his team made the brighter start, Aaron Pierre heading David Buchanan’s free-kick into the side-netting on just four minutes.

Ryan Sweeney almost diverted Sam Hoskins’ cross into his own net as Mansfield struggled to get beyond halfway in a first 11 minutes dominated by the Cobblers.

But, not for the first time this season, failure to turn pressure into goals was followed by some haphazard Northampton defending at the other end, with the Stags scoring from their first real attack on 12 minutes when David Cornell misjudged Benning’s corner and the ball went all the way in.

Hoskins had a shot blocked for the Cobblers and an unmarked Turnbull couldn’t make the most of an opportunity from Pollock’s deep corner.

The 18-year-old was catching the eye in central midfield but the home side had little else to shout about in a first-half that was desperately short on goalmouth incident.

Benning’s freak goal was still the difference at half-time and that remained so into the second-half when Town got nowhere in their efforts to get back into the game as Mansfield’s Conrad Logan continued to be a spectator in the away goal.

But the hosts were back on level terms with a goal out of nothing midway through the half, Foley timing his run and jump to perfection in heading home Pollock’s excellent corner.

That stung Mansfield back into life as Danny Rose headed wide from a corner although the visitors were not able to seriously test Cornell.

Rose should have at least made Town’s goalkeeper work with five minutes to go when lofting over the crossbar from eight yards.

Junior Morias and Cox were both sent on by Curle in the final 10 minutes but it was the visitors likelier to win it with Jacob Mellis’ stoppage-time free-kick flying over in a last-gasp chance to snatch all three points.

Match facts

Cobblers: Cornell, Facey, Goode, Pierre (c), Buchanan (Cox 89), Turnbull, Foley, Pollock, Hoskins, D Powell (Morias 82), A Williams

Subs not used: Coddington, O’Toole, Bowditch, Elsnik, J Powell

Mansfield: Logan, Benning, Preston, Pearce (c), Bishp, MacDonald, Tomlinson (Mellis 56), Sweeney, Walker, Jones (Rose 65), CJ Hamilton

Subs not used: Smith, Atkinson, Grant, Law, Hakeem

Referee: Paul Marsden

Attendance: 5,905

Mansfield fans:1,465

Chris Boyd's men looked to be heading for defeat when Quins roared back from 13-6 down at the break to lead 19-13.

But Alex Mitchell came off the bench to score in fine fashion with fewer than two minutes to go and Grayson kicked the conversion superbly under pressure to earn the victory.

It means Saints have now narrowed the gap to fourth-placed Quins to just four points with three Gallagher Premiership games to go.

But their triumph did come at a cost as George Furbank was stretchered off, and they also lost Piers Francis and first-half try scorer Ahsee Tuala to injury.

However, Saints now have a weekend off to recover before heading to Newcastle Falcons on April 26 for another key game in the race to reach the play-offs.

The black, green and gold had headed to the Stoop on the back of a costly defeat to Gloucester six days earlier, and they were behind early on against Harlequins.

Marcus Smith made amends after missing an early penalty as he secured three points for his side at the second attempt.

Saints used the kick-off to finally get some field position and after Francois van Wyk stole the ball, Matt Symons was penalised for playing the nine, giving Dan Biggar three points.

Quins were suddenly under a little pressure and after Reece Marshall won a penalty at the breakdown, Saints were at the hosts' door.

Rory Hutchinson made some tidy metres before producing a lovely offload and the ball was worked wide, where Jamie Gibson sent Tuala in with ease.

Biggar converted from the touchline to make it 10-3.

But Saints soon suffered an injury blow as full-back Furbank was forced off with what appeared to be a head injury that required lengthy treatment.

When play resumed, Smith slotted his second penalty of the game to cut the gap to four points, but Biggar soon cancelled that out.

Saints were totally dominant at the breakdown, winning penalty after penalty in that area as they tried to use it as a platform to really apply the pressure in the home half.

Teimana Harrison came within inches of the line before Saints were penalised for obstruction as the away side continued their profligacy in good positions.

Francis was forced to do some important defending just before the break as he made a key tap tackle on Quins wing Nathan Earle.

But it came at a cost for Earle, who was stretchered off with a suspected broken leg.

Saints headed in at half-time 13-6 up, feeling they should have been much further ahead given their level of dominance.

Quins came out with the bit between their teeth after the break, but after kicking to the corner twice, they were stopped by strong lineout defence from Saints.

Francis became the latest injury victim when he limped off to be replaced by Grayson, who went to full-back with Andrew Kellaway moving to centre.

And Quins soon made the most of the disruption, putting together a move that ended with Jack Clifford charging past Gibson to score.

Smith's simple conversion levelled the scores at 13-13 and the fly-half put his team three points ahead with a successful penalty 20 minutes from time.

But Saints would not go quietly, winning a string of penalties deep in Quins territory, but Chris Robshaw drew a huge roar from the home fans by earning a crucial turnover.

And after Quins won two penalties thanks to sizeable shoves from their pack, Smith sent another penalty between the posts to extend the lead to 19-13.

Saints then lost yet another player to injury as Tuala limped off, meaning Mitchell came on at scrum-half and Reinach switched to the wing.

But it was to work in Saints' favour as Mitchell showed his sharpness, picking the ball up on the right and finding space before selling a dummy and finishing in composed fashion.

Grayson was presented with a far from easy kick just in from the right touchline, but he was not fazed, bisecting the posts to put Saints ahead.

And after claiming the kick-off, the black, green and gold went through the phases before booting the ball out to put the seal on a fine away-day success.

Harlequins: Brown; Earle (Saili 39), Alofa Alofa, Tapuai, Murley (Lang 71); Smith, Hidalgo-Clyne; Auterac, Crumpton, Sinckler; Symons, Horwill (cc) (Glynn 40); Clifford (Kunatani 71), Robshaw (cc), Dombrandt.

Saints: Furbank (Kellaway 15); Tuala (Mitchell 74), Hutchinson, Francis (Grayson 44), Naiyaravoro; Biggar, Reinach; van Wyk (Waller 60), Marshall, Hill (Franks 51); Ratuniyarawa, Lawes; Gibson, Wood, Harrison.

Referee: Christophe Ridley

Attendance: 14,335

Mal Benning punctured Town's strong start by scoring direct from a corner just 12 minutes in but the hosts fought back for their 18th draw of the campaign thanks to Sam Foley, who headed in Scott Pollock's corner.

A point was the least the Cobblers deserved after they matched the high-flying Stags, who remain in the automatic promotion spots in League Two despite dropping two points at the PTS.

"The result is obviously important but what's also important is the level of performance and I thought it was very good today," said Curle.

"I thought we played on the front and we matched them. The challenge for the changing room was to go up against a team second in league, who are there on merit, and the players had to accept that challenge, enjoy it and go and face it head on. We did that, individually and collectively."

Once again set-pieces formed Northampton's main threat and it cam as no surprise when Foley headed in Pollock's excellent delivery midway through the second-half.

Curle added: "We try to have variation in our set-pieces because we are a threat from them, not only with the movement and the creativity of the movement but also the quality of delivery, whether that's Scott Pollock or David Buchanan.

"We've also got other options to take corners and we have a good understanding of where we need the ball to be delivered and then we need the desire and application to get on the end of it.

"Sometimes it's about keeping the ball alive and sometimes it's about having a chance at goal and taking it. We did that today."

Saints are now nursing more than 20 injuries after Saturday's attritional game against Harlequins at the Stoop added yet more men to the treatment room.

Boss Chris Boyd spoke about the lengthy injury list after the match, which Saints won 20-19 thanks to a last-gasp Alex Mitchell try and James Grayson's nerveless conversion.

Boyd was forced to make several changes during the game, with George Furbank stretchered off due to a head injury, Piers Francis suffering a knee problem and Courtney Lawes and Paul Hill clashing heads.

Lawes and Hill were able to come back on, but Ahsee Tuala came off late on with cramp.

It meant Saints finished with Grayson at full-back, Andrew Kellaway at centre and Cobus Reinach on the wing.

But Mitchell, who was on for Tuala, and Grayson, who replaced Furbank after just 15 minutes, both made big impacts when it mattered.

And after the game, Boyd spoke of the injury issues Saints have endured of late.

"We had Mitch Eadie strain his back yesterday afternoon - he couldn't even touch his toes, and we brought Devante (Onojaife) into the squad on the bench," Boyd said.

"At that stage, we had 19 out of our roster that we couldn't select from and it was getting pretty thin.

"George Furbank took a nasty shoulder to the head on a little chip kick so there was no malice in that.

"Courtney (Lawes) and Paul Hill collided head on head when they were both going for a tackle and they both had to leave the field for a time.

"Piers strained a knee, but I don't think that's significant.

"Dan was hobbling around with an Achilles problem and he couldn't kick at the end but he didn't find running too bad.

"We got some bumps and bruises but they obviously had a couple of major injuries with a knee (Nathan Earle) and an elbow (Cadan Murley).

"I spoke to their coaches afterwards and they're feeling the strain around their roster so this is why it's really important to have 30 plus guys who can do a job for you.

"We're a long way from being at full strength but the really pleasing thing is we keep asking guys to do a job for us and by and large they've been doing that."

Saints held their nerve at the Stoop after seeing a 13-6 half-time lead turn into a 19-13 deficit late on.

And Boyd said: "The first half was over an hour long, it was stop-start and hard to get momentum.

"They got on a good roll in the second half but we got there in the end.

"It would have been disappointing if we'd lost, but we're not in any way pleased about a lot of how we played and the injuries we had."

Northants’ Specsavers County Championship Division Two clash is heading for a draw after another run-heavy day at Sophia Gardens.

Day three ended with Northants on 522 for four in their first innings, which is in reply to Glamorgan’s 570 for eight declared.

Rob Newton completed his century before being dismissed for 105, having taken part in a huge opening stand of 303 with Richard Vasconcelos, who went on to complete a career-best 184.

There were also half-centuries for Josh Cobb and Rob Keogh, who ended day three unbeaten on 73, and barring some wheeling and dealing between the captains ahead of day four, this match is going to end in a share of the spoils.

In all, there have already been five centuries and 1,092 runs scored for the loss of only eight wickets on this bland pitch.

While the batsmen have thrived and filled their boots with some early season runs, the bowlers will surely feel there should be more balance between bat and ball.

The visitors started the day on 234 without loss with Vasconcelos and Newton taking their record- breaking opening partnership against Glamorgan to 303 before Newton was caught behind.

Alex Wakely joined the left handed opener, but he departed soon after lunch, wafting at one from Graham Wagg to give Cooke his second catch.

Vasconcelos had been at the crease for six hours 44 minutes facing 317 balls, hitting a six and 22 fours before he was lbw playing half forward to Labuschagne’s leg spin.

It was a career best innings for the South African, surpassing the 140 he scored against Middlesex last year.

He did, however, offer four chances during his innings, the first when he was dropped at slip on 21 off Marchant De Lange, and the last when two Glamorgan fielders almost collided going for the catch at long off.

Cobb alternated between attack and watchful defence, striking a breezy 60 before he attempted to hit Billy Root’s off spin over mid- wicket, but instead sliced to cover point, to give Root his first wicket for his new county.

Keogh then reached a sketchy half century and was joined by Adam Rossington.

Glamorgan used their ninth bowler when Kiran Carlson was summoned to bowl his gentle off breaks, but the Northants fifth wicket pair took no liberties as they passed 500.

Mansfield Town manager David Flitcroft felt his side struggled to get to grips with Northampton’s ‘direct’ approach during Saturday’s 1-1 draw at the PTS, adding that the referee didn’t help matters.

The Stags arrived in Northampton chasing a third successive win and sitting second in Sky Bet League Two, and it was going with the form book when Mal Benning’s early corner deceived everyone and went all the way into the net.

But Flitcroft’s men were well below their best and the Cobblers deservedly bagged themselves a point courtesy of Sam Foley, who headed in Scott Pollock’s corner with 21 minutes to go, denting Mansfield’s promotion aspirations as they dropped a place to third.

“It was a well-earned and hard-earned point,” said Flitcroft. “The football we came up against today was direct and it came at you from every angle.

“Northampton are in transition. There’s a lot of uncertainty with contracts for next season and sometimes out of that you get players fighting for everything and they certainly did that because we’ve had to withstand quite a bit of pressure.

“The disappointment is that we were 1-0 up and the goal we conceded comes from a set-piece because we dealt with their other set-pieces really well.

“Northampton are very brave on corners - they throw nine outfield players in and they really come after you but we withstood it for most of the game. But the one we didn’t get right, they score from so that’s where I’m really disappointed.

“I thought our early goal would settle us but it didn’t because we rushed out play, we weren’t composed enough in possession and we stayed in that frantic state of mind.

“The lads really tried and gave everything they could but on the big moments we didn’t have that quality we’ve shown all season.”

Flitcroft was also unimpressed by the performance of referee Paul Marsden, adding: “The referee broke the game up a lot and I didn’t think he really understood the importance of it. There was also a penalty claim for handball and I’ve got to see that back again.

“At times it was like he was guessing. I’ve never seen so many free-kicks in a game without seeing a big tackle so it was a scruffy match and not a great spectacle.

“You want a referee to keep the game flowing but it was stop-start and did that suit Northampton? One hundred per cent because it allowed them to get players on the edge of our box and smash it in.

“They set up for that and then they get other set-pieces so the game was disrupted and it was difficult to find any rhythm.”