Relatives of tragic police officers Tom Clough and Matthew Blades killed on A66 pay tribute as five men and teens killed in tragic crash named

RELATIVES of two police officers killed after a car driving the wrong way on a dual carriageway crashed into their police vehicle have paid tribute.

PC Tom Clough, 38, and PC Matthew Blades, 37, died after a Volkswagen Passat, that had been pursued by other police officers, hit their marked armed response vehicle on the A66 in Teesside in the early hours of Saturday.

Five young males aged from 17 to 23, who were in the Volkswagen, were also tragically killed.

Cole Robert Worthy, 17, Theo Rae, 17, Makai Saddington, 18, and 23-year-olds Michael Robert Cahill and Jakub Matusiak have been named by police as among the deceased.

A fundraiser for the officers' families, set up by Cleveland Police Federation, had raised about £170,000 by this evening, Sunday, August 23.

In a statement issued tonight, PC Clough’s family said: “He was our hero with a fantastic sense of humour. Jumped into action whenever needed, and willing to help anyone for any reason.

“Proudly fought for his country to make the world a better place. Always on public duty throughout his short life.”

“We as a family and Tom’s partner would like to express our sincere gratitude for the overwhelming support and condolences from friends, colleagues and the wider community.”

In a separate statement, the wife of Pc Blades said: "No words will ever feel like the right words to honour our Matt — my beloved husband, my best friend, and the most devoted father to our two young boys.

"The pain of losing him is beyond words, and our lives will never be the same. Neither will the love he gave us ever fade.

Theo Ray and Cole Worthy (top left), Jakub Matusiak (top right), Makai Saddington (bottom left), Michael Cahill (bottom right).

"Our children will grow up knowing what an incredible father he was and will always be, and I will carry his love, his memory and everything we shared with me always.

"He may have left this world committed to the duty he believed in, but his greatest legacy will always be the love he gave to his family."

The Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC) is investigating the circumstances of the fatal road traffic collision.

An IOPC spokesperson said yesterday: "At this early stage, we understand Cleveland Police sighted a suspicious vehicle and a pursuit began.

"The car travelled onto the A66 in South Bank and collided with a police car at 3.39am. We can confirm that sadly multiple people have died in the collision.

"Following a mandatory referral from the force, we declared an independent investigation at 6.03am."

IOPC Director of Investigations Nicola Marfleet said: “This is a tragic incident, and my thoughts are with family and friends and all those affected, including the emergency services in attendance.

“Our investigation is in the very early stages, we have sent investigators to the post incident procedures to begin reviewing evidence.

“When someone dies following police contact, it is mandatory that the matter is referred to the IOPC. Our role is to establish and examine the circumstances of what happened; this work is already underway, and Cleveland Police is cooperating with our enquiries. We will provide a further update when we are in a position to do so.”

It issued an updated statement today saying: "Our initial enquiries have established Cleveland Police received intelligence regarding numerous incidents that were linked to a Volkswagen Passat. The Passat, which contained five male occupants, was later sighted and an armed response vehicle began a pursuit of the vehicle.

"Analysis of the police vehicle in car footage shows the pursuit lasted just under seven minutes before the Passat travelled onto the A66 in South Bank, against the flow of traffic, at which point the pursuit was aborted by officers and they continued to travel on the correct side of the carriageway.

"A short time after the pursuit ended, approximately 10 seconds later, the Passat collided with another police vehicle which was not involved in the pursuit but in the area to assist in a search for the Passat believed to be using cloned plates that had activated an ANPR camera.

"It has been confirmed that following the collision at 3.39am, seven people sadly died."

IOPC Director of Engagement Derrick Campbell said: “Our thoughts continue to be with the family and friends and all those affected by yesterday’s collision. We recognise the devastating impact this incident has had on those in the force, the wider policing community, and the local community, and we offer our condolences.

“We have obtained initial accounts of officers involved in the pursuit, the incident log and in car footage of the incident. Work is ongoing to obtain additional material.

“IOPC investigators will continue to review and analyse all the evidence that is available to us. We will not be providing any further comment at this time.”