🚨 A66 CRASH: PC MATTHEW BLADES AND PC TOM CLOUGH HAD NO WARNING BEFORE THE ᴅᴇᴀᴅLY COLLISION
The official account confirms that PC Matthew Blades, 37, and PC Tom Clough, 38, were travelling in a marked Cleveland Police vehicle on the correct side of the A66 when the Volkswagen Pᴀssat came towards them in the wrong direction. All seven people in the two vehicles died.
The Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC) has confirmed that the earlier pursuit lasted just under seven minutes. After the Pᴀssat entered the A66 against the flow of traffic, officers aborted the pursuit. About 10 seconds later, the Pᴀssat collided with the separate police vehicle carrying Blades and Clough.
What has not been publicly confirmed is the claim that black-box telemetry proves the officers had “zero seconds to avoid” the impact. The IOPC says it is still reviewing in-car footage, officer accounts and other evidence, so that conclusion should not yet be presented as an established fact.
PC Blades was remembered by his wife as a devoted husband and father of two young boys, while both officers have been honoured by colleagues, families and their wider community.
Sources: Cleveland Police and the IOPC investigation reported by The Independent and The Guardian.
