Hundreds of police officers gathered in Hartlepool today for the funeral of PC Matt Blades, 37, one of two Cleveland Police officers killed in a head-on crash on the A66 in Middlesbrough. The dignified, largely silent procession stood in stark contrast to the disorderly scenes at recent funerals for the five young men who died in the same crash while driving a car on cloned number plates, several of which had involved burning vehicles, fireworks and men hiding their faces. During today's events, a service held nearby in Middlesbrough for Cole Worthy, one of the five men, was disrupted when a 39-year-old man was arrested on suspicion of assault, before the funeral resumed.

PC Blades, a married father-of-two, former teacher and armed response officer, had served with Cleveland Police since 2015; his colleague PC Tom Clough, 38, also died in the crash. More than 1,000 officers lined the streets as his Union Jack-draped coffin was carried into St Joseph's Roman Catholic Church in Hartlepool, accompanied by bagpipers, standard bearers from forces across the country and a horse-drawn procession. Senior figures attending included Cleveland Police Chief Constable Victoria Fuller, policing minister Sarah Jones, Home Office minister Anna Turley, MP Matt Vickers and Tees Valley Mayor Ben Houchen.