More than £1 million has been donated in three days to support the families of Cleveland Police officers Matthew Blades, 37, and Tom Clough, 38, who died in a head-on collision on the A66 near Middlesbrough. The fundraising response reflects widespread public support for the officers, who were killed while on duty after a police pursuit of a suspected stolen vehicle had been called off shortly before the crash.

Five occupants of the Volkswagen Passat also died: Michael Robert Cahill, 23, Theo Rae, 17, Cole Robert Worthy, 17, Jakub Matusiak, 23, and Makai Saddington, 18. Cleveland Police’s GoFundMe appeal had received about 48,000 donations, while a separate appeal had raised roughly £48,000; police are also investigating possible links to organised crime, with 17 people arrested in related inquiries.