Northampton hammered English rivals Bristol 66-3 in a 10-try rout at Franklin's Gardens.

Wing Chris Ashton scorched over for a hat-trick while Paul Diggin and Mark Easter both grabbed braces on a humiliating afternoon for the West Country side.

Bruce Reihana, Roger Wilson and Jon Clarke also added tries as Bristol were put to the sword.

Diggin opened the scoring in the 10th minute of a one-way contest which yielded the bonus point to Saints by the interval.

Matt Salter's yellow card did not help the visitors as the hosts romped into a commanding 28-3 lead.

The floodgates opened in the 52nd minute when Reihana crossed for Northampton's fifth try.

But Bristol's misery was not complete as the Saints ran in four more in the space of 16 minutes.

The massive win leaves Northampton seven points clear of French club Montpellier with Bristol languishing in third place.