The mother of a 23-year-old man killed in a fatal A66 crash has asked friends and family to converge on a public field near Peterlee, County Durham, in off-road vehicles as a tribute to her son, after an earlier balloon-release plan drew backlash. Michael Cahill died alongside four friends on 22 August when their VW Passat crossed onto the wrong side of the road and collided with a marked police car, also killing two officers, PCs Tom Clough and Matthew Blades. Local residents have voiced alarm that gathering bikes, jeeps, cars and quads on council-owned wasteland near a hotel and main road poses a safety risk, and some hope police will intervene to stop it.

Kelly Cahill, from Peterlee, posted online urging "lads" to bring "bikes, jeeps, cars, quads" to the field on Thursday to "give him the send off he deserves," having earlier called for a balloon release. Residents noted the site is padlocked and bordered by a main road, making a large gathering of off-road vehicles unsafe. Tributes for the other four victims — Jakub Matusiak, 23, Makai Saddington, 18, Cole Worthy, 17, and Theo Rae, 17 — have also proved controversial, with campaign group Stop Balloon Releases North East criticising four planned balloon releases in Middlesbrough as environmentally harmful, while video has also emerged showing Cahill joyriding at speed shortly before the crash.