‘These were brave officers’: tributes paid to police among seven killed in A66 crash

Tributes are being paid to two police officers who died on Teesside when a car travelling the wrong way along the A66 crashed head-on into their vehicle, also killing five young men.PC Matthew Blades, 37, and PC Tom Clough, 38, were killed when the marked armed response vehicle they were in was struck by a Volkswagen Passat in the early hours of Saturday morning.On Sunday, Anna Turley, the Home Office minister and local Redcar MP, said it was “devastating” to think about the grief of the families of everyone who lost their lives on Saturday morning. The whole community was “reeling”, she said.“All of us in the community here are sending our heartfelt thoughts and sympathies to the families and loved ones of those who lost their lives so tragically,” she told BBC Breakfast.Security camera footage appears to show police pursuit minutes before fatal A66 crashTurley said it was important to avoid speculation about what might have happened and allow families the privacy to grieve. “I do want to place on record my tribute to PC Blades and PC Clough. The bravery that we see from our police officers every day, every night is incredible. No one should not come home to their families at the end of their shift.”She also said it was important to thank the emergency services who attended at the scene during “a really horrific incident”.The prime minister, Andy Burnham, said he was “devastated” to hear two police officers had lost their lives on duty, as well as five members of the public. “My thoughts are with the families and loved ones of everyone involved, and with everyone at Cleveland police. Thank you to the emergency services responding in incredibly difficult circumstances. I would urge people to avoid speculation at this time.”The Cleveland police chief constable, Victoria Fuller, said she and her deputy had on Saturday visited the families of the two officers to offer condolences and support.Cleveland police chief constable, Victoria Fuller, said it was an ‘incredibly sad day’. Photograph: Owen Humphreys/PA“This is an incredibly sad day for Cleveland,” she said. “This loss is being felt across our communities, by our police family and by our partner agencies. These were brave officers, protecting our communities and serving our residents, who didn’t return home to their families at the end of their shift.”Lauren Somerville, the chair of Cleveland police federation, said the grief among officers was “all-consuming, overwhelming”. She said: “Words cannot describe the pain the Cleveland police family are feeling.”The Tees Valley mayor, Ben Houchen, said in a statement on Facebook: “A horrible and tragic incident in South Bank this morning and my thoughts are with those affected, their families and the emergency services who attended the scene.“Our police officers are heroes who put everything on the line to protect us, and I know all of Teesside will want to pay tribute to the officers and other emergency service workers involved for the bravery they have shown in responding to this incident.”The five young men in the VW Passat have not been named by authorities, although they have been named on social media. The Independent Office for Police Conduct has opened an investigation into the circumstances leading to the crash at 3.39am in South Bank after a mandatory referral from Cleveland police.Police vehicles had been pursuing the car before it joined the A66 although it is understood the pursuit had ended before the fatal crash. Ring doorbell footage published by several websites minutes before the crash shows a car being driven at speed down a residential road and being followed by police cars.Ellie Westerman, who lives locally, told the Sun: “The noise woke me and I shot out of bed. You could feel the vibration in the house as the car went past and the police vehicles followed with their lights and sirens going. It was frightening that cars were being driven at that speed through a residential area.”