This is the moment police are seen pursuing a car down a narrow road just minutes before seven people were killed in a head-on smash, including two police officers who lost their lives.
Footage exclusively obtained by the Daily Mail shows a silver Volkswagen Passat speeding past homes on Lime Road, Teesville, at 3.36am on Saturday morning.
In the eerie video captured by a home security camera, two police cars follow just seconds later, both with their lights flashing and sirens sounding.
The dramatic pursuit began about a mile away from where the Volkswagen smashed into a police car while travelling in the wrong direction down the A66 in Teesside.
The vehicles collided at around 3.40am in South Bank, near Middlesbrough.
The marked police car was heading the correct way down the A66 before the crash and was not involved in the initial pursuit, it is understood.
Cleveland Police Chief Constable Victoria Fuller paid tribute to the two ‘brave’ police officers killed and named them as PC Matthew Blades, 37, and PC Tom Clough, 38, during a police press conference.
She said on Saturday: ‘This is an incredibly sad day for Cleveland. The loss has been 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.
This is the moment police are seen pursuing a car down a narrow road just minutes before seven people, including two police officers, were killed in a head-on smash
In the eerie video captured by a home security camera, two police cars follow just seconds later, both with their lights flashing and sirens sounding
Cleveland Police Chief Constable Victoria Fuller named the two police officers killed as PC Matthew Blades and PC Tom Clough during a police press conference on Saturday
‘My thoughts and thoughts of everybody here at Cleveland Police are with their family, friends, colleagues and loved ones at this incredibly difficult time.
‘Early today the Deputy Chief Constable and I visited Matthew and Tom’s families to offer our condolences, support one another and begin to come to terms with this unimaginable loss.’
The crash comes just days after five young men were also killed in a head-on smash on an Irish motorway. The youngsters, who were in a stolen BMW travelling the wrong way down the M9, died at the scene in Co Kildare in the early hours of Sunday.
Teesville resident Neil Hutchinson, 47, said: ‘There were police cars tearing down the street at 3.30am with lights flashing and their sirens going, it woke me up.
‘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.’
Another resident said: ‘A car shot down the street at speed and the police were right behind it and they were all travelling at very high speed, it was terrifying and must have woken the whole street. It’s tragic that it’s ended with people dead.’
Police officers at the scene of a fatal crash involving a police car and a Volkswagen Passat on the A66 near Middlesbrough
Emergency services at the scene on the A66 in South Bank, Middlesbrough, where multiple people died in a crash at 3.40am on Saturday
Police are pictured at the site of the road closure on the A66 in Teesside this morning
The Independent Office for Police Conduct said officers spotted a suspicious vehicle and a pursuit began before the car travelled onto the A66 and crashed. The watchdog has launched an investigation following a mandatory referral from Cleveland Police.
Prime Minister Andy Burnham said he was ‘devastated’ to hear of the deaths of two police officers and five members of the public in the crash.
‘My thoughts are with the families and loved ones of everyone involved, and with everyone at Cleveland Police,’ he wrote in a post on X.
‘Thank you to the emergency services responding in incredibly difficult circumstances.’
Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood also described the collision as ‘devastating’.
She wrote on X: ‘A devastating incident in Teesside this morning in which seven people have died, including two police officers.
‘Cleveland police have my support as they work to identify all those involved. Police officers put their own safety on the line to protect their communities every single day.
‘The two officers were on active duty, serving the people of Cleveland.
‘My thoughts are with all those affected, their families, friends, the emergency services who attended the scene and the wider police family.’
Meanwhile, the chairwoman of Cleveland Police Federation said ‘words cannot describe the pain’ following the death of two police officers in a crash on the A66.
Lauren Somerville said: ‘Words cannot describe the pain the Cleveland Police family are feeling today. Our colleagues who should have been going home to their loved ones at the end of their shifts are not. And that is just unfathomable.
‘Cleveland Police Federation will be offering full support to our fallen colleagues’ families and they have all of our love and care at this time.
‘When the time is right we will pay full tribute to our brave colleagues. But we can assure that their sacrifice will never be forgotten.’
IRELAND: Alex McCarthy was one of the five boys who died in a collision in County Kildare last Sunday
IRELAND: Kamil Pustowski (left) and Jack Kennedy (right) died in the crash on the M9
IRELAND: Jeremy O’Brien (left) and Joey Carthy (right) were among five teenagers to lose their lives in the collision last Sunday
In a statement, the federation said it was supporting the two officers’ close colleagues and asked people to ‘spare a thought’ for the Cleveland Police officers at work following the deaths.
The A66 is currently closed in both directions between Normanby Road and Church Lane and is expected to remain shut ‘for some time’.
The road is the major artery through Teesside and the location of the crash is surrounded by industrial units and factories.
A large number of emergency service vehicles were at the scene this morning and motorists are being urged to use alternative routes.
North East Ambulance Service sent 14 units to the scene, including ambulance crews, a specialist paramedic, a hazardous area response team and a doctor from Great North Air Ambulance Service.
Anna Turley, MP for the Redcar constituency where the crash happened, said: ‘My heart goes out to every family, friend and loved one now facing the most unimaginable loss following this morning’s devastating accident on the A66.
‘Cleveland Police have confirmed that seven people have sadly lost their lives. Their families and loved ones are now facing an unimaginable loss that will be felt forever.
‘Two of the seven people who have lost their lives were Cleveland Police officers, on duty serving our community. They went to work to keep people safe, and they should have come home to their families.
‘Their loss will be felt deeply by their loved ones, fellow officers and right across the communities they served.
‘Cleveland Police are investigating the accident, alongside the Independent Office for Police Conduct. It is crucial that we respect that process and avoid speculation at this deeply painful time.
‘I cannot begin to imagine how difficult this has been for the emergency services responding to such a devastating incident. Thank you to every one of them for their courage, care and professionalism.
‘I am being kept updated by Cleveland Police and by the Home Office as Minister and will share further official information when appropriate.
‘The A66 will remain closed in both directions between Normanby Road and Church Lane. Please avoid the area and use alternative routes.’
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.’
She added investigators had been sent to start reviewing evidence, and the watchdog is cooperating with Cleveland Police to establish the circumstances of the collision.
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