'Firearm used' in robbery attempt

A man with what is believed to have been a firearm attempted to rob a 56-year-old woman in a house in a Northamptonshire town.

The incident happened at a property in Newton Road, Rushden, near to the junction with Avenue Road at 0950 GMT.

The raider did not take anything from the woman or the house but made off in a black hatchback car towards Newton Bromswold with another man driving.

The woman was not injured in the incident but was left shaken.

Police are appealing for witnesses and are keen to speak to two men of large build, wearing high-visibility jackets, seen in the car in the area some time before the incident.

Det Sgt Alison Farr, of Northamptonshire Police, said: "This was a particularly frightening, although rare incident and we would like to speak to anyone who may have witnessed it or who may have seen these two men."