A66 Middlesbrough crash: Andy Burnham leads tributes to police officers killed on active duty

Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood has led tributes after seven people - including two serving police officers - were killed in a horror crash.

The officers were on active duty when their marked police vehicle collided with a Volkswagen Passat travelling the wrong way along the A66 in the early hours of Saturday morning. The officers have since been named as PC Matthew Blades and PC Tom Clough.

Ms Mahmood said: “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 single day. The two officers were on active duty, serving the people of Cleveland.

“My thoughts are with all those affected, their families, friends, the emergency services who attended the scene and the wider police family.”

The tragedy unfolded in South Bank, near Middlesbrough, at around 3.39am. Five members of the public travelling in the Passat were also killed and everyone in both vehicles was pronounced dead at the scene.

A major emergency response was launched following the collision, with the North East Ambulance Service sending 14 resources to the scene, including ambulance crews, a specialist paramedic and its Hazardous Area Response Team.

The Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC) has launched an investigation into the circumstances surrounding the crash. The watchdog said it understands Cleveland Police had sighted a suspicious vehicle and a pursuit began before the Passat travelled onto the A66 and collided with the police car.

The pursuit had been abandoned before the crash and the police vehicle involved in the collision was not part of the pursuit and was just travelling in the area, according to the BBC

Work is reportedly still ongoing to formally identify everyone who was inside the Passat. Families of those who have been identified have been informed and are receiving specialist support.

The ambulance service 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.”

The deaths of the two officers have left colleagues at Cleveland Police devastated. Lauren Somerville, Chair of Cleveland Police Federation, said: “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.”

Chief Constable Victoria Fuller said: “First and foremost, our thoughts are with the families of everyone involved in today’s incident.