Two Cleveland police officers and five young men were killed after a car travelling the wrong way on the A66 in Teesside crashed head-on into a marked armed response vehicle in the early hours of Saturday.
Key facts
- PCs Matthew Blades, 37, and Tom Clough, 38, were killed in the head-on collision.
- A Volkswagen Passat was travelling the wrong way along the A66 when it struck the officers' vehicle.
- Seven people died in total, including five young men.
- Two of those killed were 17-year-old boys.
- Cleveland police have released photographs of the two officers who died.
Tributes are being paid to two police officers who died on Teesside after a car travelling the wrong way along the A66 crashed head-on into their vehicle, an incident that also killed five young men, according to the Guardian.
PC Matthew Blades, 37, and PC Tom Clough, 38, were killed when the marked armed response vehicle they were in was struck by a Volkswagen Passat in the early hours of Saturday morning, the Guardian reported.
Cleveland police have since published photographs of PC Blades and PC Clough as families released emotional tributes to the officers.
In total, seven people were killed in the collision. Two 17-year-old boys were among the dead, according to the Guardian.
The Redcar MP said the Teesside community was ‘reeling’ following the head-on collision involving the vehicle being driven the wrong way, the Guardian reported.
The five young men in the other car have been named by police, though further details of the ongoing investigation were not provided in the available reporting.
Why it matters
The loss of two serving police officers alongside five young men represents a significant tragedy for the Teesside community. Crashes involving vehicles travelling the wrong way on major roads raise serious questions about road safety and the risks faced by emergency responders.
Frequently asked questions
Who were the police officers killed in the A66 crash?
The two officers were PC Matthew Blades, 37, and PC Tom Clough, 38, of Cleveland police, according to the Guardian.
How many people died in the A66 crash?
Seven people were killed in total: the two police officers and five young men. Two of those who died were 17-year-old boys, according to the Guardian.
What caused the collision?
According to the Guardian, a Volkswagen Passat was travelling the wrong way along the A66 when it crashed head-on into the officers' marked armed response vehicle in the early hours of Saturday morning.