Schools in Middlesbrough are closing early for pupil safety ahead of the funeral of Jakub Matusiak, one of five young men killed in a head-on crash with a police vehicle on the A66. The service, taking place at St John the Evangelist Church in South Bank, is expected to draw large crowds, motorbikes and quad bikes, following earlier vigils and memorials that saw off-road vehicles tearing through estates, flares set off and cars set alight, raising fears of further disruption or violence.

Matusiak, 23, died alongside Cole Worthy, 17, Theo Rae, 17, Makai Saddington, 18, Michael Cahill, 23, and two Cleveland Police officers, PC Matthew Blades and PC Tom Clough, when a stolen Volkswagen Passat crashed into a marked police car on 22 August. At least four schools, including South Bank Primary, are shutting early on Friday, citing both anticipated congestion and pupils' emotional wellbeing. Cleveland Police has arrested 27 people over organised crime linked to the aftermath and drafted in over 200 extra officers, while a fundraiser for the officers' families has passed £1.2 million.