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.