Funeral for PC Matthew Blades killed in Middlesbrough A66 crash takes place – BBC News
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Hundreds line street for officer killed in crash:
Image source: Supplied
Image caption: PC Matthew Blades was killed on 22 August while on duty for Cleveland Police.
By Louise Hobson, Alison Freeman, and Evie Lake
Published 9 September 2026, 06:08 BST
Updated 1 hour ago
Hundreds have gathered for the funeral of PC Matthew Blades, one of two police officers killed in a crash on the A66.
PC Blades, 37, and PC Tom Clough, 38, died when a Volkswagen Passat collided with their marked car near Middlesbrough on 22 August. Five young men also lost their lives.
A full ceremonial funeral was held for PC Blades in Hartlepool earlier, featuring a guard of honour from hundreds of police officers from Cleveland and across the UK.
Speaking on behalf of his family, Lauren Somerville, Chair of the Cleveland Police Federation, expressed the profound loss felt: "Life feels unbearably quiet" without Matthew’s "silly jokes" and laughter.
Members of the emergency services, community leaders, and politicians attended, with bagpipe players leading the procession. The hearse bore a simple floral arrangement reading ‘dad’.
Somerville noted the overwhelming support received from across the globe, including flowers delivered to police stations and messages from as far away as Australia, France, and America.
She emphasized the strength gained from even small gestures of respect from the public: "Nods or thank yous when they see us out and about have brought officers so much strength."
Hutton Avenue in Hartlepool was closed during the procession.
"All of the officers across the country will have felt this," Somerville said, "and Cleveland is such a small force, so it’s personal to have lost Matthew and Tom. I think the common feeling has been a sense of duty and a sense of pride."
The Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC) revealed that officers had been pursuing the Passat for almost seven minutes before the collision, but the pursuit was ended 10 seconds prior due to the car turning onto the dual carriageway.
PC Blades, who had previously been an English teacher, left behind a wife and two children.
"He was funny," Somerville concluded, "and brought light and laughter into all our lives."
