A house fire in Grangetown, Middlesbrough, killed seven-year-old Valentina Foster and her aunt, Natalie McDonald, 34, and has heightened fears of escalating gang violence in the town. Two men have been arrested on suspicion of murder, while police are investigating whether the blaze is connected to wider organised crime or a recent fatal crash involving five young people.

The fire was reported at 5.23am on Wednesday and also left one woman critically ill and three others with less serious injuries. It occurred days after five youths died in a wrong-way collision on the A66 with a police vehicle; the article says they had allegedly been pursuing a rival gang, but Cleveland Police has stressed that it is keeping an open mind about any link. Former mayor Andy Preston warned that retaliatory attacks could further harm communities already affected by high crime.