Moment police pursue VW down residential street before it fatally crashed into cop vehicle on A66, killing seven
Pc Matthew Blades, 37, and Pc Tom Clough, 38, and five others were killed in the crash.
Secuity camera footage appears to show the moment police pursue a car that later crashed as it drove the wrong way on the A66, killing two officers and five other people.
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In the ring doorbell footage obtained by Sky News, the car can be seen speeding down what is thought to be Lime Road at 03:36am on Saturday morning as police vehicles follow behind.
Pc Matthew Blades, 37, and Pc Tom Clough, 38, were named as the officers killed when a Volkswagen Passat collided with their marked police vehicle that was going in the right direction.
The crash occured on the the A66 near Middlesbrough.
Residents said they were awoken early in the morning by the loud sound of police cars.
Neil Hutchinson, 47, a resident, said: “There were police cars tearing down the street at half past three with lights flashing and their sirens going, it woke me up.
Read more: Two 'brave' police officers among seven people killed in wrong-way crash on A66 named
Read more: Seven dead including two police officers after VW travelling wrong way crashes into cop car
“You could tell from the noise that they were travelling at high speed. Two cars went down the street and then a few seconds later there was a third, they were obviously going after another vehicle.
“It’s a narrow street with cars parked on either side so it must have been a serious situation to be going at that speed down this road.
“We woke up this morning to the news that people have been killed. They were travelling in the direction of the A66, so it must have been part of the same incident.”
Reading a statement outside the force’s headquarters in Middlesbrough on Saturday afternoon, Cleveland Police's Chief Constable Victoria Fuller described the incident as "an incredibly sad day" for her force.
She said: “At 3.39am this morning, a Volkswagen Passat that was travelling the wrong way down the A66 has collided with a marked Cleveland Police armed response vehicle, which was travelling on the correct side of the road.
“Tragically, two police officers, Pc Matthew Blades and Pc Tom Clough, died at the scene, along with the five occupants of the Passat, as a result of the collision.”
She added that their loss has been "felt across our communities, by our police family and by our partner agencies."
The two officers who died "were brave officers protecting our communities and serving our residents who didn't return home to their families at the end of their shift", she added.
She said that she visited the families of both officers to "offer our condolences and support".
The formal identification of the five others killed has also taken place, police said.
The Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC) opened an investigation into the circumstances leading to the crash after a mandatory referral from Cleveland Police.
“Whilst this investigation is ongoing, and out of respect for all those who have lost loved ones, I would strongly urge people to avoid speculation and respect the privacy of the families,” Chief Constable Fuller said.
Prime Minister Andy Burnham has said he was “devastated” to hear of the deaths of two police officers and five members of the public in a crash near Middlesbrough in the early hours of this morning.
He posted on X: “Devastated to hear that two police officers have lost their lives while on duty in Cleveland this morning, 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.”