King Charles has written letters of condolence to the families of the two police officers killed in the A66 tragedy. The King sent his deepest sympathy to the widows of Cleveland Police officers PC Tom Clough, 38, and PC Matthew Blades, 37, the Mirror was told. Charles wanted to add his voice to the extraordinary show of support for the two officers who "made the ultimate sacrifice" in the line of duty.
Officers killed in head-on collision
The officers were killed when a Volkswagen Passat, going the wrong way down the A66 at South Bank, struck a Cleveland Police armed response vehicle heading in the opposite direction at 03:39 BST on Saturday.
Details of Charles's letters emerged as the Cleveland Police Federation's online GoFundMe appeal neared its £1.2m target today. It has now raised £1,123,876. A separate appeal has also reached almost £52,000.
Fundraising appeal for families
The money raised will go to the officers' families. The police federation appeal was launched with the message: "They were both dedicated and committed Police Officers who left their families and went to work to serve their community and protect the public."
Tragedy struck these two brave Cleveland Police colleagues in the early hours of 22nd August - and they paid the ultimate sacrifice in the line of duty. They did not return home to their families. "They leave behind heartbroken loved ones who will struggle to come to terms with their loss."
Lauren Somerville, Chair of Cleveland Police Federation, said they were 'simply staggered' by the public's reaction to this fundraising request.
Violence and further tragedies
It comes as police have been scrambled to multiple incidents across Teesside as escalating violence linked to criminal gangs following the crash threatens to spiral out of control. The turf war has claimed nine lives in five days following the deaths of seven people, including the two police officers in the crash on Saturday.
Meanwhile, on Wednesday, Valentina Foster, 7, and her aunt Natalie McDonald, 34, were tragically killed in a house fire in Grangetown, Teesside.
An inquest on Thursday heard that the police officers died from head and neck injuries after a Passat, traveling the wrong way down a dual carriageway, hit their marked vehicle. PC Blades' wife faced the heartbreaking task of identifying her husband, while PC Clough's partner identified him, the inquest heard.
Cole Worthy, 17; Theo Rae, 17; Makai Saddington, 18; and 23-year-olds Michael Robert Cahill and Jacob Matusiak were in the Passat and were pronounced dead at the scene in South Bank.
Meanwhile, last night cars were set on fire during a balloon release for Michael Cahill, one of the occupants of the fatal head-on collision on the A66. It appears the cars - including a high-performance Porsche thought to be around £80,000 - were set ablaze as part of the event.
Footage shared on Instagram on Thursday evening showed dozens of youths gathered on a field - reportedly in the Haswell area of County Durham - before releasing balloons as at least three people tore up the ground in their cars. The occupants were seen driving around in circles as others in the crowd set off coloured smoke flares and released more balloons into the air. Seconds later, footage showed multiple cars ablaze in the field as others shouted.
