Three cars in four days caught going wrong way down A66 months after fatal crash

Police officers 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 months before.

Two on-duty police officers died on the A66 in Middlesbrough, along with five young men in a car which hit their police vehicle while going against the flow of traffic.

Cleveland Police have said that, two months on from the tragedy, they have dealt with three incidents in a week in the same area.

The force said that at about midnight on 12 October, 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.

One boy pleaded guilty to dangerous driving and disqualified driving at Teesside Magistrates’ Court on 15 October 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 15 October, 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.

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.

“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.

Pc Matthew Blades, 37, and Pc Tom Clough, 38, died in the head-on collision with a Volkswagen Passat travelling the wrong way on the A66 on 22 August.

Cole Worthy, 17, Theo Rae, 17, Makai Saddington, 18, and 23-year-olds Michael Cahill and Jakub Matusiak were also killed in the incident.