Tragedy as seven dead including two police officers in horror wrong-way crash
Seven people, including two police officers, have died in a crash on the A66 near Middlesbrough following a pursuit in the early hours of Saturday. A Volkswagen Passat was travelling the wrong way down the A66 and collided with a marked police vehicle on the same road going in the right direction, Cleveland Police said.
Two serving police officers in the marked vehicle and five members of the public travelling in the Passat were pronounced dead at the scene after the crash at 3.39am on Saturday. Police has formally identified all occupants of the Volkswagen Passat and offered them specialist support. The Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC) opened an investigation into the circumstances leading to the crash in South Bank after a mandatory referral from the force. Officers from Cleveland Police spotted a suspicious vehicle and a pursuit began before the car travelled onto the A66 and collided with a police car, the watchdog said.
Police officers are at both ends of the cordon - the crash site was not visible from the road closures.
A large white tent was erected over the scene.
Sussex Police Chief Constable Jo Shiner said “the impact of this tragedy will be felt by many across the country”, while the Metropolitan Police said the loss of PC Blades and PC Clough would be “acutely felt across the policing family, particularly by those who had the privilege of serving alongside both officers”.
Assistant Chief Constable Melanie Jones, of the Police Service of Northern Ireland, said: “The loss of two dedicated officers in the line of duty is felt profoundly across the entire policing family and I have personally reached out to Chief Constable Victoria Fuller today, to extend our sincere sympathies.
“Our thoughts are firmly with the families and loved ones of those who have lost their lives, as well as colleagues in Cleveland Police, at this incredibly difficult time.”
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The A66 remains closed overnight after the horror crash which has shocked the nation and left seven people dead.
The closed section of the carriageway is bordered by large industrial units to the north and is close to the major Teesworks site.
Anna Turley, MP for the Redcar constituency where the accident happened, said of the two police officers who died: “They went to work to keep people safe and they should have come home to their families.
“Their loss will be felt deeply by their loved ones, fellow officers and right across the communities they served.”
In a statement to reporters on Saturday afternoon, Cleveland Police Chief Constable Victoria Fuller said: “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.”
Prime Minister Andy Burnham said he was “devastated” to hear about the crash, while Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood said her thoughts were with all those affected.
The Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC) opened an investigation into the circumstances leading to the crash at 3.39am in South Bank after a mandatory referral from Cleveland Police.
Chief Constable Victoria Fuller said it was an “incredibly sad day for Cleveland”.
“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,” she added.
A spokesperson said: "Our thoughts are very much with the family, friends and colleagues of PC Matthew Blades and PC Tom Clough who lost their lives in this morning’s tragic incident on the A66 near Middlesbrough.
"This devastating news will be profoundly felt across the policing family."
Ring doorbell footage published by several websites, 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.
Anna Turley, MP for the Redcar constituency where the accident happened, said of the two police officers who died: "They went to work to keep people safe and they should have come home to their families.
"Their loss will be felt deeply by their loved ones, fellow officers and right across the communities they served."
Cleveland Police have announced that a Section 60 order is now in effect across parts of Middlesbrough for the next 24 hours in response to disorder in the area.
The order grants officers additional powers, including the authority to stop and search individuals or vehicles if they reasonably suspect that weapons may be present.
The measures will remain in place until 7.15pm tomorrow and apply to the area highlighted in the accompanying map.
Chief Constable Jo Shiner said: "I am deeply saddened by what has happened in Middlesbrough.
"The impact of this tragedy will be felt by many across the country and I offer my heartfelt condolences to everyone affected.
"As enquiries continue, my thoughts remain with those coming to terms with this loss and with those providing support in the days and weeks ahead."
In a post on X, it said: "We extend our deepest sympathies to our blue light colleagues at Cleveland Police as they mourn the loss of two serving officers."
The Metropolitan Police has shared a statement in solidarity with Cleveland Police.
It said: "We know their loss will be acutely felt across the policing family, particularly by those who had the privilege of serving alongside both officers.
"We are thinking of them and all those impacted by this tragic incident at this unimaginably difficult time."
Anna Turley, MP for the Redcar constituency where the accident happened, said of the two police officers who died: “They went to work to keep people safe and they should have come home to their families.
“Their loss will be felt deeply by their loved ones, fellow officers and right across the communities they served.”
David Taylor and Stephen Martin, councillors for the Eston ward, said they were “deeply saddened” by the “unimaginable tragedy”.
Chris Philp MP, shadow home secretary, said his "thoughts are with the families and friends" of the officers killed in the line of duty earlier on Saturdaty.
"The Police and IPOC must be given the time and space to complete their investigations without speculation," he added.
Tees Valley mayor Ben Houchen described the crash on the A66 as "a horrible and tragic incident", adding "our police officers are heroes".
Cleveland Police Chief Constable Victoria Fuller said the members of the public inside the Volkswagen have been formally identified.
She said: “Formal identification has now taken place for the occupants of the Volkswagen Passat and specialist family liaison officers are being deployed to support the bereaved families, we also have support in place for our officers and staff who have been affected by today’s tragic events.
“As is mandatory following any death connected to a police incident, we have referred the matter to the Independent Office for Police Conduct and are fully co-operating with their investigation.
“Whilst this investigation is ongoing, and out of respect for all those who have lost loved ones, I would strongly urge people to avoid speculation and respect the privacy of the families.”
The two police officers who died in the fatal crash on the A66 near Middlesbrough in the early hours of Saturday have been named. Cleveland Police identified the officers as PC Matthew Blades and PC Tom Clough.
Cleveland Police's Chief Constable Victoria Fuller said: "This is an incredibly sad day for Cleveland. The loss has been felt across our communities, by our police family and by our partner agencies."
Prime Minister Andy Burnham said he was “devastated” to hear that two police officers and five members of the public had been killed in a crash between a police car and a Volkswagen going the wrong way on the A66 near Middlesbrough.
He posted on X: “Devastated to hear that two police officers have lost their lives while on duty in Cleveland this morning, as well as five members of the public.
“My thoughts are with the families and loved ones of everyone involved, and with everyone at Cleveland Police.
“Thank you to the emergency services responding in incredibly difficult circumstances. I would urge people to avoid speculation at this time.”
Devastated to hear that two police officers have lost their lives while on duty in Cleveland this morning, as well as five members of the public.
My thoughts are with the families and loved ones of everyone involved, and with everyone at Cleveland Police.
Thank you to the\u2026
Crime and policing minister Sarah Jones said “we ask so much of our officers” after the crash on the A66, in which two police officers died.
She said on X: “I just spoke to the Chief Constable of Cleveland Police. We ask so much of our officers.
“My thoughts are with all those who have lost their lives – and their loved ones, friends and colleagues. I can only imagine the devastation they must be feeling.
“The IOPC will now lead the investigation into the circumstances of the incident.
“I would ask people to avoid speculation and allow the investigation to take its course.”
Reverend Barry Hill, Bishop of Whitby - the Church of England bishop serving communities across Middlesbrough - says he was "shocked to hear the heartbreaking news" of this morning's crash.
"My heart and prayers, along with those of churches across our town, go out to everyone involved and to all whose lives have been changed forever by this devastating crash.
"Words are inadequate, but we pray that all those affected, including those who serve in our emergency services, may know God's presence and love."
A devastating incident in Teesside this morning in which seven people have died, including two police officers.
Cleveland police have my support as they work to identify all those involved.
Police officers put their own safety on the line to protect their communities every\u2026
Words cannot describe the pain the Cleveland Police family are feeling today.
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.
Cleveland Police Federation will be offering full support to our fallen colleagues’ families and they have all of our love and care at this time.
When the time is right we will pay full tribute to our brave colleagues. But we can assure that their sacrifice will never be forgotten.
Cleveland Police can confirm that seven people have died as a result of a collision in South Bank at 3.39am this morning (Saturday 22 August).
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.
The families of those identified have been informed and are being offered specialist support.
First and foremost, our thoughts are with the families of everyone involved in today’s incident.
No one should leave their home and not return safely, including police officers serving their communities and protecting the people of Cleveland.
This tragic incident will be felt across Cleveland, within our communities and throughout the entire policing family.
We are providing specialist support to all families involved at this extremely difficult time.
The investigation has been referred to the IOPC, which is the standard approach when a death occurs following police contact. We will cooperate fully with their investigation.
While this investigation takes place, we strongly urge people to avoid speculation.
Police have said the Volkswagen 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.
Tragically, all occupants of both vehicles were pronounced dead at the scene.
Cleveland Police has said that seven people have died - inclunig two of its own serving officers.
The two police officers were in a marked police vehicle, with five members of the public travelling in a Volkswagen Passat.
These latest pictures from the scene show a blue forensic tent has been erected.
Several police vehicles are parked at the site.
Police officers manned both ends of the cordon and the crash site was not visible from the road closures.
It was understood a large white tent has been erected over the scene, with multiple emergency service vehicles on the scene.
The closed section of the A66 is bordered by large industrial units to the north, and is close to the major Teesworks site.
This is a tragic incident, and my thoughts are with family and friends and all those affected, including the emergency services in attendance.
Our investigation is in the very early stages, we have sent investigators to the post incident procedures to begin reviewing evidence.
When someone dies following police contact, it is mandatory that the matter is referred to the IOPC.
Our role is to establish and examine the circumstances of what happened; this work is already underway, and Cleveland Police is cooperating with our enquiries.
We will provide a further update when we are in a position to do so.
At this early stage, we understand Cleveland Police sighted a suspicious vehicle and a pursuit began.
The car travelled onto the A66 in South Bank and collided with a police car at 3.39am. We can confirm that sadly multiple people have died in the collision.
Following a mandatory referral from the force, we declared an independent investigation at 6.03am.
The Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC) is investigating the circumstances of the fatal road traffic collision in Middlesbrough following a pursuit involving Cleveland Police officers.
I am deeply saddened to hear of the fatal collision on the A66 this morning.
My thoughts are with the families and loved ones of those who have lost their lives, and with everyone affected by this terrible incident.
Thank you to all of our emergency services, who have worked through the night responding to this devastating incident.
We would ask everyone to avoid speculating online to respect the families and the police while they do their work at this terrible time.
Police vehicles are seen blocking the A66 at the junction with Normanby Road.
We send condolences to all of those affected by such a tragic event and thank everyone for all they did to help.
North East Ambulance Service said it sent 14 ambulance resources to the scene, including emergency ambulance crews, a specialist paramedic, its Hazardous Area Response Team and a doctor from Great North Air Ambulance Service.
The collision on the A66 in South Bank involved two vehicles, a spokesperson for North East Ambulance Service said.
We were called to a serious road traffic incident involving two vehicles on the A66 at South Bank at 3.39am on 22 August.
We sent 14 ambulance resources at the scene, including emergency ambulance crews, a specialist paramedic, our Hazardous Area Response Team and a doctor from Great North Air Ambulance Service.
Sadly despite the best efforts of everyone attending, a number of patients died at the scene.
We send condolences to all of those affected by such a tragic event and thank everyone for all they did to help.
We are working to identify the victims and contact their families.
This is a quickly-evolving incident and we ask that members of the public respectfully avoid speculation.
Cleveland Police said a significant emergency services response remains at the scene.
The force has urged people to use alternative routes as the road "will remain closed for some time".
Folliwng the crash, the A66 is closed between Normanby Road and Church Lane.
Traffic maps show there appears to be some delays at both junctions as motorists divert off the A66.
The crash occurred on the A66 in South Bank near Middlesbrough in Teesside.
Cleveland Police said the road is closed in both directions between Normanby Road and Church Lane.
Around 3:39am this morning, a collision took place involving a police vehicle and a Volkswagen Passat on the A66 in South Bank.
Sadly, the collision has resulted in multiple fatalities. There are significant emergency vehicles on the scene, and the road will remain closed for some time.
The public are asked to use alternative routes.
We are working to identify the victims and contact their families. This is a quickly evolving incident and we ask that members of the public respectfully avoid speculation.
We are working to identify the victims and contact their families.
This is a quickly-evolving incident and we ask that members of the public respectfully avoid speculation.
Around 3:39am this morning, a collision took place involving a police vehicle and a Volkswagen Passat on the A66 in South Bank.
Sadly, the collision has resulted in multiple fatalities. There are significant emergency vehicles on the scene, and the road will remain closed for some time.
Welcome to our live coverage. "Multiple" people have died following a serious crash in South Bank, near Middlesbough.
We will be bringing you all of the latest updates as we receive them.