A66 crash: family hail police officer killed in horror smash as 'our hero'

The family of one of the two officers killed when a car driving the wrong way down the A66 crashed into their police vehicle said he was “our hero” who was “always on public duty”.

Pc Clough’s family said in a statement issued by Cleveland Police: “He was our hero with a fantastic of humour. Jumped into action whenever needed, and willing to help anyone for any reason.

“Proudly fought for his country to make the world a better place. Always on public duty throughout his short life.”

Pc Clough is understood to have served in Iraq and Afghanistan before becoming a police officer.

Husband and father-of-two Pc Blades had recently become a Seaton Carew FC coach and was preparing for his first turn teaching its under-sevens Seahawks squad.

“He was looking forward to being part of the team and, most importantly, to coaching his own son, who is going to be playing for the Seahawks this season,” the club said on social media.

“Matty and his oldest son are much-loved members of our club and our U10 Lions football family.”

Ex-frontline responder Graham Wettone, who served in the Metropolitan Police for more than three decades, said Cleveland Police staff “will literally know most people” in the force and the effect of the crash will be “massive”.

Cleveland police and crime commissioner Matt Storey also described the force as a “really tight-knit family” and said the incident “will have a big impact on them”.

“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.”

The Independent Office for Police Conduct is investigating the lead-up to the crash at 3.39am on Saturday in South Bank, Middlesborough, after a mandatory referral from Cleveland Police.

Officers had spotted a suspicious vehicle and a pursuit began before the car travelled onto the A66 and collided with a police car, the watchdog said.

It is understood the police vehicle Pc Blades and Pc Clough were travelling in was not part of the pursuit.

Ex-Met officer Mr Wettone said that colleagues “all know each other” in the smaller UK forces he has worked with.

He said: “If I bump into an ex-Met officer then within within 30 seconds we’ll know someone together, we’ll have a common common link.

“In forces like Cleveland, they will literally know most people.”

Cleveland Police had a workforce of 2,647 in March 2024, including police officers, police community support officers, special constables, police staff and police staff volunteers, according to a previous review.

The Met had around 30,000 officers when Mr Wettone served there, he said.

Moreover, a “significant policing career” is usually required to be an armed response officer, as Pc Blades and Pc Clough were, he added.

He said: “They’ve worked their way through police response teams, police community teams, and in such a small force, they will be very, very well known amongst the force itself, so it has a massive impact.”

The armed response unit will also be small with the same crews turning up to certain calls, he added.

“Most of the response teams in Cleveland will know at least one, if not both, of those officers”, he said.