A66: Two police officers among seven dead in wrong-way horror crash named

The two police officers killed in the horror crash this morning on the A66 near Middlesbrough have been named.

Cleveland Police’s Pc Matthew Blades, 37, and Pc Tom Clough, 38, died in the line of duty as they pursued a suspicious vehicle at around 3.39am.

The police car collided with a Volkswagen Passat, which was travelling the wrong way down the A66 in South Bank.

All seven died in the crash - including Pc Blades and Pc Clough. Cleveland Police chief constable Victoria Fuller said she and the deputy chief constable visited the families of the two officers.

Speaking in a press conference outside Cleveland Police’s HQ in Middlesbrough, Ms 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.

“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.

“My thoughts and thoughts of everybody here at Cleveland Police are with their family, friends, colleagues and loved ones at this incredibly difficult time.

“Early today the Deputy Chief Constable and I visited Matthew and Tom’s families to offer our condolences, support one another and begin to come to terms with this unimaginable loss.”

Prime Minister Andy Burnham has said he was left “devastated” to hear about the crash.

He wrote 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.”

Ms 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.”

An investigation was opened just after 6am on Saturday following a mandatory referral from the force, the Independent Office for Police Conduct confirmed.

The A66 is closed in both directions between Normanby Road and Church Lane in Eston.

There is a significant emergency response at the scene and people should use alternative routes as the road “will remain closed for some time”, Cleveland Police said.

North East Ambulance Service (NEAS) said it had been called to a two-vehicle crash and sent 14 units to the scene including ambulance crews, a specialist paramedic, a hazardous area response team and a doctor from Great North Air Ambulance Service.

A spokesperson for NEAS said: “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.”

A Cleveland Police spokesperson previously said: “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.”

IOPC director of investigations Nicola Marfleet said: “This is a tragic incident, and my thoughts are with family and friends and all those affected, including the emergency services in attendance.”

She added investigators have been sent to start reviewing evidence, and the watchdog is cooperating with Cleveland Police to establish the circumstances of the collision..

Anna Turley, MP for the Redcar constituency where the crash happened, said: “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.”

She added: “We would ask everyone to avoid speculating online to respect the families and the police while they do their work at this terrible time.”