A North East MP has said people in his constituency are "not feeling safe" following unrest on Teesside after a devastating A66 crash that left seven people dead. Cleveland Police have drafted in hundreds of extra police officers to help with investigations.
Some 200 extra officers have been deployed to help Cleveland Police after a number of violent incidents which followed a head-on A66 crash where seven died, including two police officers, on Saturday.
Vigil marred by car fires
Videos shared on social media on Thursday evening appear to show several cars on fire at a vigil in Haswell, County Durham, where balloons were released in tribute to one of the men killed in the A66 crash. According to reports, the event was to remember Michael Cahill, 23, with footage showing a large crowd gathering on grassland. More videos were later shared online that appeared to show burnt-out cars being moved from the field by a tractor.
It follows a devastating house fire in Grangetown where Valentina Foster, seven, and her 34-year-old aunt Natalie McDonald died. Police have not ruled out a link between the crash and a fatal house fire a mile away.
MPs and council leader respond
The extra officers have come from a number of forces, including the National Crime Agency, and are assisting as police continue to investigate the blaze in Grangetown, near Middlesbrough, which saw police launch a murder investigation.
"People are saying that they are going to their shops and not feeling safe to do so and feeling trapped in their own homes," Andy McDonald, the MP for Middlesbrough and Thornaby East, told Times Radio on Thursday. "That is just unacceptable. We’ve got to have an appropriate response to deal with the people who are causing such mayhem in our communities and to allow people to lead their peaceful lives." McDonald earlier told BBC Radio 4 there appeared to be a "causal link with organised crime".
Anna Turley, MP for Redcar, said in a post on Facebook: "I know how worried people are, and understandably, people want to know what is being done. There is a significant response underway, with additional officers and resources being brought into our area and agencies working together around the clock." She added: "People have a right to feel safe in their homes and in their communities. That is our absolute priority."
Arrests and ongoing investigation
Alec Brown, leader of Redcar and Cleveland Council, said more than 200 extra police officers have been deployed from around the country to support Cleveland Police, and that he would be asking the Prime Minister for more support. He said officers were "working 20-hour days to ensure the ongoing safety of innocent residents".
PC Matthew Blades, 37, and PC Tom Clough, 38, died in the head-on collision with a Volkswagen Passat on Saturday. Cole Worthy, 17, Theo Rae, 17, Makai Saddington, 18, and 23-year-olds Michael Robert Cahill and Jakub Matusiak were also died in the incident.
Police have arrested 17 people following the A66 crash, which followed a police pursuit, charging two of them and bailing the others, as part of investigations into alleged organised crime. Meanwhile, two men have been arrested on suspicion of murder in connection with the fire which killed Natalie McDonald, 34, and seven-year-old Valentina Foster and injured four others. Officers investigating the South Bank crash said they had not yet confirmed if it was linked to wider organised crime.
