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A66 Crash Kills PC Matthew Blades and Five Others

9/9/2026

23 4 Full Breakdown

Summary

Story summary

Cleveland Police will hold a funeral for PC Matthew Blades in Hartlepool, with road closures from 07:30 BST.
A Volkswagen Passat struck the officers’ armed response vehicle on the A66 near Middlesbrough on 22 August.
The crash killed PC Matthew Blades, PC Tom Clough and five youths, including 17-year-olds Cole Worthy and Theo Rae.
A fundraiser raised over £1.2 million and FC Hartlepool renamed its U10 team to FC Blades in tribute.

History

Historical Context

On 6 October 1985 the Broadwater Farm riot in Tottenham erupted after Cynthia Jarrett’s death, and PC Keith Blakelock was killed while protecting firefighters; the incident injured 230 officers and led the Met to adopt a new gold-silver-bronze command system. The unrest echoed later in August 2011 when the Mark Duggan shooting sparked further Tottenham protests, showing a recurring pattern of police-community tension.

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Story summary

Cleveland Police will hold a funeral for PC Matthew Blades in Hartlepool, with road closures from 07:30 BST.
A Volkswagen Passat struck the officers’ armed response vehicle on the A66 near Middlesbrough on 22 August.
The crash killed PC Matthew Blades, PC Tom Clough and five youths, including 17-year-olds Cole Worthy and Theo Rae.
A fundraiser raised over £1.2 million and FC Hartlepool renamed its U10 team to FC Blades in tribute.

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