Coroner opens inquests into death of police officers in A66 crash

27 Aug 2026 • 6:26 PM MYT
The Independent
The Independent

The world’s most free-thinking newspaper

Coroner opens inquests into death of police officers in A66 crash

  • Inquests have opened into the deaths of police officers PC Matthew Blades, 37, and PC Tom Clough, 38, who were killed in a crash on the A66 near Middlesbrough.
  • Provisional medical evidence confirmed both officers died from severe head and neck injuries sustained in the head-on collision.
  • The court heard that a Volkswagen Passat travelling against the flow of traffic struck the officers' marked police car.
  • The Passat had been subject to a police pursuit, but the pursuit was aborted after it entered the carriageway in the wrong direction prior to the crash.
  • All seven people across both vehicles died at the scene, with separate inquest openings scheduled for the five occupants of the Passat aged between 17 and 23.

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