Cleveland Police have dealt with three incidents in a week of cars driving the wrong way on major A-roads in the area where seven people died in a head-on crash on the A66 on August 22. The force said the incidents put people at immediate, serious risk of harm or even death.
Incidents within a week
At about midnight on October 12, a vehicle made off from officers on Cambridge Road, Middlesbrough, before turning onto Acklam Road and then going the wrong way on the A66 towards Middlesbrough. Inquiries are ongoing in relation to the driver of this vehicle.
Two days later, two 16-year-old boys were arrested after a Renault Megane made off from police just after midnight. Cleveland Police said the car collided with street furniture and drove the wrong way on the A66, where an officer on mutual aid from West Yorkshire Police made the arrests.
Arrests and court proceedings
One boy pleaded guilty to dangerous driving and disqualified driving at Teesside Magistrates’ Court on October 15 and will be sentenced in November. The second boy was arrested on suspicion of possession with intent to supply class A drugs and was bailed whilst inquiries continue.
On October 15, police were called to a report of a VW Passat driving erratically in Thornaby at around 1am. The car then drove dangerously and against the traffic on the A19, police said.
Police warning
Chief Superintendent Paul Richardson said: "We have seen a number of incidents in the last week, including where two young people have risked their lives, and the lives of other innocent road users, by driving dangerously. Staggeringly, this has included some driving contraflow on our busiest roads in Cleveland."
"This puts people at immediate, serious risk of harm or even death. It is truly shocking to see drivers take these risks, and we want those people to know that we will come down hard on anyone who thinks this behaviour is acceptable, and we will use the full force of the law in identifying, investigating and prosecuting anyone who commits these offences."
He added: "We do not want to see anyone else harmed as a result of this behaviour, and so I ask those people to please think twice before committing these extremely dangerous acts."
The incidents follow the fatal crash on August 22, in which two on-duty police officers, PC Matthew Blades, 37, and PC Tom Clough, 38, died on the A66 in Middlesbrough, along with five young men in a Volkswagen Passat when the car hit the police vehicle while going against the flow of traffic. Cole Worthy, 17, Theo Rae, 17, Makai Saddington, 18, and 23-year-olds Michael Cahill and Jakub Matusiak were also killed in the incident.
