Two ‘brave’ Pcs killed in A66 crash are named

Seven Dead After Wrong-Way Collision on A66 Near Middlesbrough: Two Officers Named

Traveloasisspot.com – The early hours of Saturday brought a devastating blow to Cleveland and the wider North East when seven people lost their lives in a high-speed collision on the A66 near Middlesbrough. Among the dead are two serving police officers, Pc Matthew Blades, aged 37, and Pc Tom Clough, aged 38, whose marked patrol vehicle was struck by a Volkswagen Passat travelling in the opposite direction to traffic flow. The five occupants of the Volkswagen were also killed. All seven victims were identified, and Cleveland Police confirmed that families are receiving dedicated support from specialist officers.

The Pursuit and the Collision

According to the Independent Office for Police Conduct, which opened a formal investigation following a mandatory referral from Cleveland Police, officers on patrol noticed a vehicle behaving suspiciously shortly before 3.39am. A pursuit commenced, and the chase carried the suspect vehicle onto the A66 in the South Bank area. There, the Volkswagen passed into the oncoming lane and collided head-on with the police car that was travelling correctly along the carriageway. The force of the impact proved fatal for everyone aboard both vehicles.

The A66 is a principal arterial route threading through Teesside’s industrial heartland. The stretch where the crash occurred sits between Normanby Road and Church Lane in Eston, flanked to the north by large manufacturing and logistics units and in close proximity to the Teesworks industrial estate. For residents of Eston, Ormesby, and surrounding estates, the road is both a vital commuter link and a familiar backdrop to daily life — making the scene of the collision all the more shocking to those who pass it each morning.

Immediate Response and Scene Security

In the aftermath, the A66 was sealed in both directions between the two named junctions. Officers posted at either end of the cordon ensured the crash site remained invisible to passing motorists. A large white forensic tent was erected over the wreckage, and multiple emergency-service vehicles — fire, ambulance, and police — ringed the perimeter. Cleveland Police also imposed a drone exclusion zone around the scene to protect the integrity of the investigation and the privacy of the victims’ families.

A Section 60 order, which grants officers enhanced powers to stop and search vehicles and persons in a defined area, was activated around the crash location. The order covers a zone stretching from Cargo Fleet Lane eastward to Normanby Road, along Longlands Road, and south along the Trunk Road to Ormesby Road. It remains in force until 7.15pm on Sunday.

Tributes and Official Reaction

Chief Constable Victoria Fuller described the morning as an “incredibly sad day for Cleveland” and paid tribute to the two officers.

“These were brave officers protecting our communities and we serving our residents who didn’t return home to their families at the end of their shift.”

Prime Minister Andy Burnham said he was “devastated” to learn of the deaths. Anna Turley, MP for the Redcar constituency in which the accident took place, spoke of the officers’ purpose and the cruelty of their fate.

“They went to work to keep people safe and they should have come home to their families. Their loss will be felt deeply by their loved ones, fellow officers and right across the communities they served.”

Local councillors David Taylor and Stephen Martin, both representing the Eston ward, called the event an “unimaginable tragedy” and said they were “deeply saddened.” Lauren Somerville, chairwoman of the Cleveland Police Federation, added:

“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.”

Community Footage and Wider Context

Ring doorbell video, apparently captured on Lime Road just minutes before the impact, shows a car travelling at considerable speed down a residential street with police vehicles in close pursuit. The clip, shared widely across social platforms, gave neighbours a harrowing glimpse of the chase’s final moments before it reached the A66.

Police pursuits, while a necessary tool for locating suspects and preventing further offences, carry inherent risks — particularly at night, on dual-carriageway roads, and in areas where industrial traffic and residential streets intersect. The IOPC’s investigation will examine every stage of the chase: the initial observation, the decision to pursue, the route taken, and the circumstances of the final collision. Cleveland Police have stated they will cooperate fully with the watchdog’s findings.

For the families of all seven victims, and for the Cleveland Police workforce of several thousand officers and staff, the loss represents a rupture in the daily rhythm of service. Two officers clocked in expecting to clock out hours later. Five members of a single household or group were travelling together in the Volkswagen. The A66, once reopened, will carry traffic past the site as though nothing had changed — yet for those who knew the dead, nothing will be the same again.