Police and army attend funeral for officer killed in wrong-way A66 crash

Funeral for PC Clough: Killed in Middlesbrough A66 Crash

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Police and Army Mourn Officer Killed in Crash

Hundreds of police officers, emergency service workers, and army veterans attended the funeral of PC Tom Clough. By Claudia Robinson and Evie Lake, North East and Cumbria.

Published: 10 September 2026, 05:30 BST | Updated: 1 hour ago

Police officers and army veterans gathered for the funeral of PC Tom Clough, who died in a head-on crash on the A66 near Middlesbrough alongside his colleague, PC Matthew Blades.

Tragic Collision

PC Clough, 38, was killed along with PC Blades when a Volkswagen Passat hit their marked police car on 22 August. Five young men in the Passat also lost their lives.

Public and Private Tributes

The funeral procession started from Kirkleatham Walled Gardens, Redcar, with a mounted police unit leading the way, followed by the hearse carrying PC Clough’s coffin draped with the Union Flag. Standard bearers lined the road, and colleagues wore identity patches in tribute.

This was a more private affair than Thursday’s funeral for PC Blades, where hundreds of members of the public lined the streets. The ceremony was attended by Policing Minister Sarah Jones, local MP Anna Turley, and Tees Valley Mayor Ben Houchen.

PC Clough’s Background

PC Clough served in the British Army from 2006 to 2012 as a lance corporal with the Royal Logistics Corps. He then joined the Civil Nuclear Constabulary, working at Sellafield, Cumbria, before serving with British Transport Police and finally Cleveland Police, where he was an armed response officer.

The Incident

Officers had been pursuing the Passat seconds before it collided with PC Blades and PC Clough’s car on the dual carriageway. They were not involved in the pursuit but were responding to a cloned registration plate alert. All six occupants of the Passat died in the crash.