By James Simons-
Seven people, including two Cleveland Police officers, have been killed in a devastating crash on the A66 near Middlesbrough after a Volkswagen Passat travelling the wrong way along the dual carriageway collided head-on with a marked police vehicle. The crash happened in South Bank at around 03:39 BST on Saturday, with five people believed to have been travelling in the Passat.
The two officers, PC Matthew Blades, 37, and PC Tom Clough, 38, were pronounced dead at the scene alongside the five occupants of the other vehicle, who are understood to have been in their late teens. Police said the officers were travelling on the correct side of the road in a marked armed response vehicle.
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A police pursuit of the Passat had ended shortly before the fatal collision. Cleveland Police Chief Constable Victoria Fuller described the deaths as an “incredibly sad day for Cleveland”, paying tribute to the officers as brave public servants who had been protecting their communities and serving local residents.
The Independent Office for Police Conduct has opened an investigation into the circumstances surrounding the pursuit and collision. Emergency services attended in large numbers, with the North East Ambulance Service deploying 14 ambulance resources. The A66, a major route through Teesside, was closed in both directions between Normanby Road and Church Lane and was expected to remain shut for the rest of the day.
Tributes have since been paid by senior police figures, politicians and community leaders, with Prime Minister Andy Burnham describing himself as devastated by the tragedy and thanking emergency workers who responded in extremely difficult circumstances. Cleveland Police said specialist support was being offered to the families of those who died as the force and the wider community began to come to terms with the devastating loss.
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