Community leaders and police forces from across the UK are paying tribute to two “brave” police officers who died in a crash on the A66.
PC Tom Clough, 38, and PC Matthew Blades, 37, were killed near Middlesbrough early on Saturday morning.
A Volkswagen Passat, which was travelling the wrong way down the dual carriageway, smashed into their marked armed response vehicle, which was going in the right direction.
The five people in the Volkswagen Passat, who have not yet been publicly named, were also killed in the crash.
Their families are being supported by officers, Cleveland Police said.
The Independent Office for Police Conduct has opened an investigation into the circumstances leading to the crash.
Officers from the force spotted a suspicious vehicle and a pursuit began before the car travelled onto the A66 and collided with the police car, the watchdog said.
Cleveland Police Chief Constable Victoria Fuller said: “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.”
Tees Valley mayor Ben Houchen said: “A horrible and tragic incident in Southbank this morning and my thoughts are with those affected, their families and the emergency services who attended the scene.
“Our police officers are heroes who put everything on the line to protect us, and I know all of Teesside will want to pay tribute to the officers and other emergency service workers involved for the bravery they have shown in responding to this incident.”
Cleveland Police Federation chairwoman 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.”
David Taylor and Stephen Martin, councillors for the Eston ward, said they were “deeply saddened” by the “unimaginable tragedy”.
Assistant Chief Constable Melanie Jones, of the Police Service of Northern Ireland, said: “The loss of two dedicated officers in the line of duty is felt profoundly across the entire policing family and I have personally reached out to Chief Constable Victoria Fuller today, to extend our sincere sympathies.
“Our thoughts are firmly with the families and loved ones of those who have lost their lives, as well as colleagues in Cleveland Police, at this incredibly difficult time.”
Sussex Police Chief Constable Jo Shiner said “the impact of this tragedy will be felt by many across the country”.
Meanwhile, the Metropolitan Police said the loss of Pc Blades and Pc Clough would be “acutely felt across the policing family, particularly by those who had the privilege of serving alongside both officers”.
Prime Minister Andy Burnham said that he was “devastated” to hear about the crash, while Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood said her thoughts were with all those affected.
Ring doorbell footage published by several websites, which appears to have been taken on Lime Road, Middlesbrough, minutes before the crash, shows a car being driven at speed down a residential road and being followed by police cars.
Ellie Westerman told The Sun: “The noise woke me and I shot out of bed. You could feel the vibration in the house as the car went past and the police vehicles followed with their lights and sirens going. It was frightening that cars were being driven at that speed through a residential area.”
The A66 is closed in both directions between Normanby Road and Church Lane in Eston.
A Section 60 order – which gives officers additional stop and search powers – is in place near the site of the crash until 7.15pm on Sunday.
It covers an area around Cargo Fleet Lane east, up to Normanby Road, along Longlands Road and the Trunk Road south to Ormesby Road.
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