Armed police have raided further homes in the Grangetown area of Middlesbrough as part of an investigation into escalating gang violence, days after a fatal house fire and a fatal A66 motorway crash that both appear linked to a turf war between two factions of a local organised crime group. Officers with rifles targeted properties in Burns Road in the early hours of Monday, with one arrest reported and a vehicle seized, as residents describe the area as tense and say some are afraid to leave their homes.

The violence began with a house fire that killed Natalie McDonald, 34, and her seven-year-old niece Valentina Foster, followed by a police pursuit that ended when five young men and teenagers died after driving the wrong way down the A66 and colliding with a police vehicle, also killing PC Matthew Blades, 37, and PC Tom Clough, 38. A 31-year-old man arrested on suspicion of murder has since been released without charge, while 23-year-old Jaden Wright remains in custody charged with grievous bodily harm and strangulation over a separate incident. Ram raids, arson attacks on cars, and illegal bike activity have also been reported, prompting concern from Redcar MP Anna Turley, while tributes to the dead officers have been paid at local football matches.