Northamptonshire will be installing new computer-operated turnstiles to improve entrance procedures at the County Ground – thanks to support from Sport England.

Work is already under way and it is hoped that the project will be completed soon after the new season begins, at a cost of £60,000.

Northamptonshire's Safety Officer, Trevor Finch, said: "During recent safety inspections, concerns were expressed by outside experts about our entrances, and we have been encouraged to improve both our safety and security procedures.

"Frankly, if we had not taken steps, then almost certainly they would have been forced upon us.

"We've received a great deal of help and advice from other venues that have adopted similar procedures, including several county clubs, and we hope the methods we are introducing for the new season will be as successful for us as they've been elsewhere."

In future, pedestrians will be able to gain access at either end of the County Ground, but members and paying spectators will have to pass through turnstiles. Bar codes on individual membership passes and matchday tickets will operate the turnstiles, which will be linked to a central computer.

Access for cars will be through the gates at the Abington Avenue end, near the new Indoor Cricket Centre, and this will make it easier to keep pedestrians well away from cars as they enter the ground. For vehicles there will be access barriers, again linked to the central computer, to control and restrict access to those genuinely entitled to bring a car into the ground.

Chief Executive Stephen Coverdale added: "We are very grateful to Sport England for their support under the new Safer Sports Grounds programme, which has enabled us to finance the changes to our entrance arrangements.

"Although a great deal of the necessary work will be done before our first Championship match against Glamorgan on April 20, the whole scheme will not be completed until the beginning of May."

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