'Take them down' minister tells social media firms amid fury over dangerous driving clips after horror crashes

Social media firms were told by the Government to remove dangerous driving clips immediately after two police officers were killed when a car going the wrong way along a dual carriageway crashed into their vehicle.

Pc Matthew Blades, 37, died alongside Pc Tom Clough, 38, when a Volkswagen Passat, that had been pursued by police, hit their marked armed response vehicle seconds after the chase was terminated.

Cole Robert Worthy, 17, Theo Rae, 17, Makai Saddington, 18, and 23-year-olds Michael Robert Cahill and Jacob Matusiak were also pronounced dead at the scene on the A66 near Middlesbrough , Teesside early on Saturday.

Police officers at the scene of a fatal crash involving a police car and a Volkswagen Passat on the A66 in South Bank, near Middlesbrough PA The crash comes after five teenagers died in Ireland when the BMW they were in drove the wrong way down the M9 motorway and collided with a vehicle, carring a family to Dublin airport for a wedding in the UK.

Both crashes have been linked to a wave of clips on social media encouraging dangerous driving, including going the wrong way down busy roads.

Defence minister Luke Pollard, on the media round for the Government, told social media companies to “take down” the clips now, or the Government would take action to ensure they were removed.

He told BBC Breakfast: “Those social media companies know exactly what they're doing.

“They know where their business model is and how they make money, and they make money by keeping our eyeballs glued to their screens, keeping content that people watch and share.

“This type of dangerous content should have no place on social media because it encourages other people to do the same.”

Cleveland Police had launched the chase after receiving intelligence relating to “numerous incidents” linked to a Passat, which activated an ANPR camera and is believed to have been using cloned plates, investigating watchdog the Independent Office for Police Conduct said.

Pc Tom Clough (left) and Pc Matthew Blades (Cleveland Police/PA) PA Media Pc Blades and Pc Clough were not involved in the original pursuit, but had been called to the area to assist with the search for the Passat.

Family members described former Civil Nuclear Constabulary officer Pc Clough as “our hero” who was “always on public duty”.

The wife of father-of-two Pc Blades called him “our superhero”, and said: “He gave his life in the line of duty, protecting and serving others with courage, dedication and selflessness.”

Multiple people dead after police car and Volkswagen crash during pursuit