A66 Police Chase Crash

Defence Minister Luke Pollard called on social media companies to remove posts celebrating dangerous driving after seven people died when a car travelling the wrong way down a dual carriageway collided with a police vehicle near Middlesbrough on Saturday. Officers Tom Clough, 38, and Matthew Blades, 37, along with five occupants of the other car, were killed in the crash on the A66.

A TikTok account believed to belong to one of the deceased passengers, Makai Saddington, 18, had shared videos appearing to show dangerous driving, which have since been removed. TikTok said its policies prohibit such content and that 99.8% of violating material was taken down proactively earlier this year. Saddington had pleaded guilty to assaulting a police officer and was awaiting trial on separate charges.

Cleveland Police launched the pursuit after the Volkswagen Passat, believed to be using cloned plates, triggered an ANPR alert. The collision occurred roughly 10 seconds after the chase ended. A fundraiser for the officers' families has surpassed £250,000.

Two armed response officers and five young men died early Saturday when a Volkswagen Passat struck their marked police vehicle on the A66 near Middlesbrough, after a pursuit that lasted just under seven minutes. PC Tom Clough, 38, and PC Matthew Blades, 37, were killed when the Passat collided with their car approximately 10 seconds after police aborted the chase.

The Passat had entered the A66 in South Bank against the flow of traffic before hitting the officers' vehicle, which was not part of the pursuit. All five occupants of the Passat — Michael Robert Cahill, 23, Theo Rae, 17, Cole Robert Worthy, 17, Jakub Matusiak, 23, and Makai Saddington, 18 — were also killed.

Cleveland Police Federation organised a fundraising initiative for the officers' families, with proceeds to be split equally between them. A silent prayer vigil is scheduled for Monday at St John the Evangelist Church in South Bank. Cleveland Police and Crime Commissioner Matt Storey emphasised the importance of compassion for police during this period.

Multiple people have died after a collision involving a police car on a major road near Middlesbrough in northeast England. The crash occurred at about 3:39 a.m. on Saturday on the A66 in South Bank, an area just east of Middlesbrough.

Cleveland Police confirmed multiple fatalities from the three-vehicle collision, which involved a police vehicle and a Volkswagen Passat, but did not provide an exact death toll in its initial statement. The North East Ambulance Service dispatched 14 units to the scene.

The A66, one of the principal routes in northern England, was closed in both directions between Normanby Road and Church Lane in Eston while emergency crews worked at the site.