The family of one of the two officers killed when a car driving the wrong way on the A66 dual carriageway crashed into their police vehicle said he was “our hero” who was “always on public duty”.
Pc Tom Clough, 38, died alongside Pc Matthew Blades, 37, when a Volkswagen Passat, that had been pursued by police, hit the marked armed response vehicle in Teesside early on Saturday.
Five males aged between 17 and 23 years who were travelling in the Volkswagen were also killed.
Pc Clough’s family said in a statement issued by Cleveland Police: “He was our hero with a fantastic 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.”
Pc Clough is understood to have been a soldier who served in Iraq and Afghanistan, before becoming a police officer with the Civil Nuclear Constabulary, and later Cleveland Police.
He has been described as “a true friend” and a “fantastic soldier”, with former comrades posting on social media to express their pride in having served alongside him.
Meanwhile, Pc Blades was a football coach who had been looking forward to teaching his son to play at the local club.
Pc Tom Clough, 38, died alongside Pc Matthew Blades, 37
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CLEVELAND POLICE
As the story develops, the IOPC’s initial inquiries established that Cleveland Police received intelligence regarding numerous incidents linked to a Volkswagen Passat.
After a sighting of the Passat, an armed response vehicle – separate to the one Pc Blades and Pc Clough were travelling in – began a pursuit.
Although the full route of the pursuit is unknown, Ring doorbell footage published by several websites, which appears to have been taken on Lime Road in Middlesbrough minutes before the crash, shows a car being driven at speed down a residential road and being followed by three police cars.
Teesville resident Neil Hutchinson told the Mail on Sunday he was woken up by “police cars tearing down the street at 3.30am with lights flashing and their sirens going”.
Footage has also been published which appears to show the Volkswagen subsequently being pursued by two police cars down The Larches.
There is also footage of two police cars, with lights on, turning around in Elm Close, a cul-de-sac off The Larches.
The footage, taken from home CCTV, is timestamped 03.37am when the police cars leave.
Tributes have been lain at the crash site for the seven people killed
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PA
The pursuit lasted just under seven minutes in total before the Volkswagen, containing the five males, entered the A66 in South Bank against the flow of traffic, the IOPC said.
Officers abandoned the pursuit but they continued to travel on the correct side of the dual carriageway.
Pc Blades and Pc Clough had not been involved in the pursuit, but their car was in the area to assist in a search for the Passat, which was believed to be using cloned plates that had activated an ANPR camera.
Approximately 10 seconds after the pursuit was abandoned, the Passat collided with their armed response vehicle at 3.39am.
The Prime Minister and others have shared tributes to those killed during the crash on social media, with Andy Burnham saying he was “devastated” by the news.