Hundreds of police officers lined the street at the funeral of a colleague who was killed in a collision on the A66.
Standard bearers represented every UK force at the service for Pc Matthew Blades, 37, at St Joseph’s Roman Catholic Church in his home town of Hartlepool.
He was killed with his colleague Pc Tom Clough, 38, in a horrific collision at South Bank, near Middlesbrough, in which five young men also died.
Some of the officers who lined the length of Hutton Avenue outside the red-brick church wore identity patches “Pc 2443 BLADES” and “Pc 3234 CLOUGH” on their uniforms.
The hearse had a white and red floral tribute which read “Dad” on the roof for the married father-of-two.
The standard bearers lowered their flags as the hearse, led by a police motorbike outrider, approached the church.
Four officers on horse-back stood guard beside a cordon where hundreds of members of the public were also paying tribute.
After the funeral, Cleveland Police released images taken from inside the church showing the coffin with a cap on top.
Before the service, traffic officers in white caps hugged each other as they remembered Pc Blades, who was an armed response officer.
Four pipers and a drummer processed in front of the funeral car and they played Amazing Grace as the coffin, covered by a Union Flag, was brought in.
Emergency services representatives from the North East Ambulance Service and Great North Air Ambulance were also there.
Cleveland Police Chief Constable Victoria Fuller greeted mourners at the entrance to the church.
Policing minister Sarah Jones and Home Office minister Anna Turley also attended.
In a statement shared by Cleveland Police Federation, his widow said afterwards: “There are no words powerful enough to express the heartbreak of losing my beloved best friend, my husband and father to our beautiful boys, especially in such tragic and unimaginable circumstances.
“The heart of our family has been taken from us and from those who loved him far too soon.
“The pain of his absence will be felt every day, but so will the love he gave, the memories he created, and the precious place he will forever hold in the hearts of his family.
“He may no longer be here to hold our hands, but his love will remain with them for the rest of their lives.
“He will be loved, remembered and missed beyond words, today, tomorrow and always.
“He will be incredibly proud and thankful for all the support that’s being given to us as a family.
“We miss everything about him, but perhaps most of all, we miss his laughter, his silly jokes and the way he could always make everyone smile, even when we least expected it.
“He was the joker of the family, the one who brought light and laughter into every room, and life feels unbearably quiet without him.
“Matt’s laughter may no longer fill the room, but the memories of his humour, his love and the happiness he brought us will stay in our hearts forever.
“We will miss him more than words could ever say, and we will love him always.”
After the service, Ms Turley, in whose Redcar constituency the crash happened, said: “It was such a powerful tribute to a wonderful man – clearly so loved and admired by colleagues and friends in Cleveland Police and beyond.
“But most of all a devoted husband and dad who was rightly a hero to his sons.
“My thoughts remain with everyone who loved Matthew as we remember his life and honour his service.
“As the Very Reverend Canon Paul Douthwaite said at the service, he was the light that shines into the darkness.
“We owe it to him to reflect Matthew’s light onwards.”
Prime Minister Andy Burnham paid tribute in the Commons, saying: “I also want to send our sympathies to the hundreds of people who will gather today at the funeral of Pc Matthew Blades, including many serving police officers, and we send our thanks to them all for their service and their work to keep our communities safe.”
Ahead of the service, a spokesperson for the Diocese of Hexham and Newcastle said: “Today we remember in prayer Pc Matthew Blades, who gave his life in service to others.
“We pray for his family, colleagues and all those affected by these tragic events, and ask for the Lord’s comfort, strength and guidance at this time.”
Outside church, Zara Lavender, 30, from Hartlepool, said: “I have come here to pay my respects to the officer, I thought it was important that people came out to show that.”
A former British Army soldier, who asked not to be named, explained why he came, saying: “You can see from the turnout that people wanted to get together.
“These guys did not deserve what happened to them – the police have a hard enough job as it is.”
After the service, Lauren Somerville, Chair of Cleveland Police Federation, said: “The Police Family came together shoulder to shoulder today, arm in arm to remember our brave colleague PC Matthew Blades.
“It was an honour and a privilege to attend today’s funeral on behalf of our colleagues across Cleveland.
“His family have shown incredible dignity and bravery since those awful events in August and it was our privilege to play our small part in honouring Matt’s memory.
“Matt was a devoted husband and father. An adored son and brother, son-in-law, and is remembered as the most fun uncle. He has been taken from his loving family far too soon and they remain squarely in our thoughts.
“The support and love we offer them does not end today.
“We will always be there to take care of them.”
She added: “Matt was a police officer who was loved deeply by his colleagues and clearly a cherished and much missed football coach.
“It was so moving to hear the stories of his humour and cheekiness.
“That’s the man who will be remembered fondly and we will never grow tired of hearing these stories.
“Policing Cleveland will continue – but we will ensure that Matt and Tom, and their legacy, will never be forgotten.”
The armed response officers were in a marked vehicle heading the right way down the A66 in the early hours of August 22 when they were hit by a Passat which had been involved in a police pursuit before it was aborted.
Ms Fuller has previously said Pc Blades and Pc Clough were “brave, committed, professional people who put the public before themselves”.
Manchester United fan Pc Blades was a dedicated football coach in his spare time.
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