Police have made four arrests after a major fire at a retail park in Northampton.

Fire broke out at the Dunelm store in the Nene Valley Retail Park on Towcester Road in the Far Cotton area of central Northampton just after 3pm on Saturday (31/05), with fire overwhelming the store and later spreading to an adjacent branch of Pets at Home that had to be evacuated of staff and animals.

Fire crews from all over Northamptonshire were called to extinguish the fire, which was eventually brought under control on Sunday morning. No casualties were reported.

Northamptonshire Police confirmed that the scene in place at the affected Dunelm store will remain on for the foreseeable future until it is deemed safe and police officers and fire investigators have concluded their investigations. The road going past the retail park has since been re-opened.

Three people were arrested on suspicion of arson on the day of the fire, who were identified as three boys aged 15, 14 and 13.

The 13-year-old boy has been released with no further action, while the two other boys have been released on bail pending further enquiries.

Northamptonshire Police confirmed earlier today (03/06) that they have arrested another 14-year-old boy who is currently in police custody.

Detective Inspector Nick Peters said, “This investigation continues at a fast pace however I would continue to appeal for anyone with information to come forward.

“If you were in the area at the time and saw anything suspicious, no matter how small, please contact us, either via 101 or anonymously via Crimestoppers on 0800 555111.

“We have spoken to a lot of witnesses already but we are still keen to hear from anyone else who has not yet contacted us.”

Witnesses or anyone with information should call Northamptonshire Police on 101 or Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555111.

Information can also be submitted online at www.northants.police.uk/RO and www.crimestoppers-uk.org/give-information.

Northamptonshire Police have asked that any callers quote incident number 25000315343 when providing any information to make sure it gets to the right person as quickly as possible.

Phil Pells, Assistant Chief Fire Officer for Northamptonshire Fire and Rescue, said, “We do not underestimate the impact this incident has had on these businesses and the people who work there, as well as the local community.

“I want to thank Fire Control, our firefighters, crews from Buckinghamshire and Lincolnshire who assisted us, and our colleagues in police for their hard work over the weekend in what was a large-scale response to this fire.

“We would ask people to continue to stay away from the scene so that our Fire Investigation officers can continue their work.

“I also want to thank those affected, the local businesses and residents of St James, for their continued patience over the last three days. Our Protection Team will be visiting local businesses in the area to offer support and advice regarding fire safety in their premises.”

Brackley Town have confirmed the club’s chairman Francis Oliver is stepping down, ending a run of 22 years in the position.

In a statement last week, the National League North champions confirmed Oliver has chosen to step down, ending an association that began when he took the role back in 2003.

He leaves at the end of a season that saw Brackley confirm their ascent to the National League for the first time in their history. The Northamptonshire-based club confirmed their promotion and title win with victory on the final day of the National League North season.

The club confirmed that Matt Wise will take the role of chairman, having previously served as a director at St James Park. Oliver will remain involved at the club as a director.

In his statement, Oliver praised the efforts of everyone involved both over his tenure and in what turned out to be his final season.

He said, “I am writing to you as a momentous season concludes and preparations for the new season are well and truly underway.

“I stepped into the role of chairman in 2003 and never thought I would still be in post more than 20 years later! With the support of our community and hard work by so many people the club has come a long way. With the club well placed and poised for even greater things in the years ahead this is the time for me to step aside as chairman.

“Matt Wise has been a director and has been heavily involved with the club for many years. Matt will now step in as chair and does so with my best wishes.

“I have every confidence in Matt, our CEO Janene, who oversees and directs the everyday running of the club, and newly appointed director, Tim Carroll, who has also been involved with the club for many years. This group will need your backing and support in the uncharted territory the club will find ourselves in next season.

“I will remain as a director and will continue to enjoy time around the club and assisting Janene and the board as best I can as the club faces the inevitable challenges and continues to grow and develop.

“Saturday 26 April 2025 was an amazing day – in my opinion the best ever among the many highs we have had as a club. And with the Ladies’ team winning three trophies I could not be taking a step back at a better time.

I could not feel more proud of our club and its place in the town. In my 22 years at the helm we have seen a remarkable journey from a local team playing in the Hellenic League to a team that will now be competing in the top division of non-league football.

“The growth in the number of boys and girls enjoying their football with us and the magnificent Saints Community Project on Wednesdays are just two aspects of what the club does and both are especially close to my heart. The Community Project was set up some ten years ago. It has gone from strength to strength and now plays a vital part in the lives of so many people providing an opportunity to get out of the house on a Wednesday and meet other people to have a chat or join in when we have live entertainment. Well done to everyone involved in that amazing project – thank you. Who would have believed all this!

“I have not mentioned here any particular people who have been involved in the club during my stewardship as there are so many of you. I would however like to thank everyone who has helped in this journey – it could not have been achieved without your help, advice, input and hard work.

“I now need to spend more time with my family and sorting out the many tasks that have been put to one side for too long. From a proud man who has taken pride in everything we have achieved together – our town, our club, our community. Come on you Saints!”

Former MK Dons boss Liam Manning has left his position at Bristol City and has taken the role at their Championship rivals Norwich City.

The 39-year-old, who was born in Norwich, will be a permanent successor to Johannes Hoff Thorup, who left the club in April. Former Arsenal player and England international Jack Wilshere had managed the final games of last season, but left the club at the end of the campaign.

Manning takes over a Canaries team that finished 13th in the 2024/25 season. The move ends his association with Bristol City, who he had joined from Oxford in November 2023 and who he had lead into the Championship play-offs in his sole full season at Ashton Gate.

The Robins finished 6th last season, only to suffer a heavy 6-0 aggregate defeat to Sheffield United in the Championship play-offs.

Norwich have confirmed Manning has signed a four year contract at Carrow Road, taking him to the end of the 2028/29 season, with the Canaries paying a release clause in Manning’s Bristol City contract.

It is as yet unclear who of Manning’s first team coaching staff is also liable to make the move from Bristol to Norwich, with the Canaries only confirming Manning’s appointment rather than any further changes to backroom staff. One mover could be Chris Hogg, who was Manning’s assistant at MK Dons and Oxford, and was part of his coaching set-up in Bristol.

Manning previously managed MK Dons between August 2021 and December 2022, which was his firs role as a senior manager in English football. He initially impressed, taking the Dons to third in League One and narrowly missing out on automatic promotion in the 2021/22 season, only to leave the Dons after a difficult start to the following campaign.

He told the official Norwich City website that following discussions with the Canaries’ Sporting Director Ben Knapper, he was excited to make the move east back to Norfolk. Manning was born in Norwich, attended Norwich City games when younger and was a part of the club’s academy before joining their East Anglian rivals Ipswich.

He said, “I’m privileged and honoured to have the opportunity to work for this fantastic football club. It’s a wonderful club with a big history and tradition.

“When I spoke to Ben and the owners about the opportunity here, I was really impressed by their vision and strategy for moving the club forward. I felt a clear alignment in how they want to play and develop players – that is something I was really excited to be a part of.

“It’s clear, there has already been a lot of valuable groundwork laid in recent seasons – it’s now important we build further on that and move the club forward.

“I’m really excited to meet the supporters and will do everything possible to give them a club they can be proud of.”

In a statement, Bristol City Chairman Jon Lansdown admitted his disappointment at having a change forced upon him.

He said, “We are disappointed to lose Liam after such a successful campaign.

“I would like to place on record my thanks to Liam for his hard work and commitment over the past 18 months and the memories we have made together and wish him and his family all the best for the future.

“We are assessing all options as we look to replace Liam.”

Late drama changed Red Bull’s race at the Spanish Grand Prix, as the team picked up a single point when they had previously looked set for a podium.

Max Verstappen was set to finish third but after he was passed by Charles Leclerc following a late safety car, there came a hugely controversial incident when the Dutchman collided with Mercedes’ George Russell.

The contact saw the reigning world champion handed a ten second time penalty, turning what would have been a fifth place finish into tenth, earning a single point.

Teammate Yuki Tsunoda finished 13th in the race, failing to score a point after starting from the pit lane.

The result saw both driver and team lose ground in the respective F1 championships. In the driver’s championship, Verstappen has 137 points, finding himself 39 points behind second place Lando Norris and 49 points behind championship leader Oscar Piastri.

Teammate Tsunoda sits 15th in the championship, with the Japanese driver on ten points but having failed to score points in the last 2 races.

Meanwhile, in the constructor’s championship, the Milton Keynes-based Red Bull team slip a place to fourth in the standings. While they are 90 points clear of 5th placed Williams, they now find themselves 15 points behind Mercedes in third, 21 behind second place Ferrari and 218 points behind leaders McLaren.

At a hot Spanish Grand Prix, Red Bull had lined up with Verstappen third and Tsunoda from the pit-lane after the latter changed set-up following qualifying last.

Verstappen had managed to jump ahead of Norris to take second place from the start of the race, before being passed back by the McLaren at the start of lap 13.

Red Bull opted to go aggressive by pitting both their drivers onto a 3-stop strategy, and as the race progressed, Verstappen was able to show some pace by catching up to Norris. He had got within DRS range of the McLaren, but lost it after losing time while trying to lap Liam Lawson and Ollie Bearman, who were distracted by their own scrap over position.

It had looked as though proceedings were set for Verstappen to take third when on lap 54, the safety car was deployed after Mercedes’ Andrea Kimi Antonelli pulled up with an oil pressure fault that killed the car’s engine.

Red Bull made the choice to pit Verstappen onto fresh hard tyres, but the choice went awry when proceedings restarted on lap 60. Verstappen had a huge slide out of the final corner, which invited Leclerc to pass.

There was some slight contact between the Red Bull and Ferrari as the latter went past, and as if that wasn’t enough, Verstappen made further contact with Russell’s Mercedes at turn one, having to take to the escape road.

In their deliberations, Red Bull felt that Verstappen might be vulnerable to a penalty if he didn’t let Russell through so informed their driver to do so, despite his protests.

In doing so, however, Russell and Verstappen collided on lap 64, with Verstappen deemed wholly at fault after seemingly accelerating to prevent Russell to make the pass into turn 5.

It later came out that this communication for Verstappen to let Russell through was in error, with the stewards later determining that there was no reason to give Verstappen a penalty for the turn one incident. A similar decision was reached for the contact between Verstappen and Leclerc just before that.

By contrast, the stewards deemed Verstappen wholly responsible for the incident with Russell, handing him a ten second time penalty. Although he let Russell through to take fifth, the penalty would see him sent down to tenth.

Also of note is that Verstappen received three penalty points for the incident, taking him up to 11 points. One more would see him earn a race ban.

As for Tsunoda, he ended up making some moves after the restart but was unable to close in on the points, coming up short with a 13th place finish.

The race was the last after a triple header, with Red Bull next racing at the Canadian Grand Prix in two weeks time.