Police officers among seven killed in A66 crash named
To view this video please enable JavaScript, and consider upgrading to a web browser that supports HTML5 video Up Next Previous Page Next Page The two police officers in their late 30s killed in this morning’s crash on the A66 have been named. Cleveland Police Chief Constable Victoria Fuller confirmed their identities as PC Matthew Blades, 37, and PC Tom Clough, 38.
‘This is an incredibly sad day for Cleveland,’ she said in a press conference outside Cleveland Police headquarters in Hemlington, Middlesbrough, where flags are flying at half-mast. ‘These were brave officers protecting our communities and serving our residents who didn’t return home to their families at the end of their shift.’
Both Fuller and the Deputy Chief Constable visited the bereaved families to offer condolences as they ‘begin to come to terms with this unimaginable loss’. Fuller added that the impact of the deaths is being felt ‘across communities, by our police family, and by our partner agencies’, with the Metropolitan Police issuing its own statement in solidarity.
The police officers killed this morning have been named by Chief Constable Victoria Fuller (Picture: Owen Humphreys/PA Wire) ‘We know their loss will be acutely felt across the policing family, particularly by those who had the privilege of serving alongside both officers,’ it read. ‘We are thinking of them and all those impacted by this tragic incident at this unimaginably difficult time.’
A total of seven people died in the collision in the early hours today after a Volkswagen Passat travelling the wrong way down the A66 near Middlesbrough collided with a police vehicle on the same road. The other five victims who died at the scene have also now been formally identified. They are believed to be males in their late teens.
Specialist family liaison officers are supporting their families. It is now mandatory that the incident be referred to the Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC). Fuller stated that the force will comply fully with the investigation. Seven people died after a Volkswagen Passat collided with a police car (Picture: Owen Humphreys/PA Wire)
She ‘strongly’ urged the public not to speculate on the matter and to respect the privacy of those grieving. The collision occurred shortly after 3.30am, after the police spotted a suspicious vehicle and pursued it onto the A66. It is understood that the marked police car involved in the crash, which was driving in the correct direction, was not part of the pursuit. It was just in the area, and the chase had already been abandoned.
Ring doorbell footage published online, which appears to have been taken on Lime Road minutes before the crash, shows a car being driven at speed down a residential road and being followed by police cars. A major emergency response was triggered, involving 14 ambulance resources, North East Ambulance Service said.
The crash site has not been visible, with a large tent erected over the scene and surrounded by police cordons, as well as a drone exclusion zone. To view this video please enable JavaScript, and consider upgrading to a web browser that supports HTML5 video Up Next Previous Page Next Page A Section 60 order – which gives officers additional stop and search powers – is now in place near the site of the crash until 7.15pm on Sunday.
It covers an area around Cargo Fleet Lane east, up to Normanby Road, along Longlands Road and the Trunk Road south to Ormesby Road. Police said in a statement earlier: ‘Cleveland Police can confirm that seven people have died as a result of a collision in South Bank at 3.39am this morning. ‘This includes two serving Cleveland Police officers who were in a marked police vehicle and five members of the public who were travelling in a Volkswagen Passat.
‘The Passat was travelling the wrong way along the A66 and collided with a police vehicle that was travelling on the same road in the right direction. ‘Sadly, all occupants of both vehicles were pronounced dead at the scene. 14 ambulance resources were deployed as the area was cordoned off (Picture: Tom Wilkinson/PA Wire)
‘The families of those identified have been informed and are being offered specialist support.’ Writing on X in the aftermath, Prime Minister Andy Burnham said he is ‘devastated’ by the events. ‘My thoughts are with the families and loved ones of everyone involved, and with everyone at Cleveland Police.’
Cleveland police and crime commissioner Matt Storey called the crash ‘tragic’, adding: ‘There are few words that can bring comfort to the family, friends and colleagues of the seven people who have lost their lives.’ Cleveland Police Federation chairwoman Lauren Somerville also said: ‘Our colleagues who should have been going home to their loved ones at the end of their shifts are not. And that is just unfathomable.’