Matthew Blades

PC Matthew Blades, aged 37, was a police officer who tragically died on Teesside. He was killed in the early hours of a Saturday morning when the marked armed response vehicle he was traveling in was struck head-on by a Volkswagen Passat. The Passat was reportedly traveling the wrong way along the A66. PC Blades was in the vehicle with PC Tom Clough, 38, who also died in the collision. The crash resulted in a total of seven fatalities, with five young men also losing their lives in the incident. Tributes have been paid to the officers, with the event highlighting the dangers faced by police officers. The accident occurred near Middlesbrough and follows similar incidents in Ireland where police had raised concerns about a social media trend involving driving on the wrong side of the road.