Residents of Grangetown, Middlesbrough, held a balloon release for Valentina Foster, seven, who was killed alongside her aunt Natalie McDonald, 34, in a house fire last Wednesday that police believe may be linked to gang violence. The tribute came as a 31-year-old man arrested over the deaths was released without charge, while a second man continues to be questioned, and it comes amid a wider police crackdown on organised crime in the area following a week of unrest.

Jaden Wright, 23, has appeared in court charged with grievous bodily harm and intentional strangulation relating to a separate incident the day before the fire, though he was arrested on suspicion of murder in connection with the blaze. Four other people were injured in the fire, including a 48-year-old woman in a critical but stable condition and a 27-year-old man still receiving hospital treatment; two teenage girls were treated and discharged. Police have said the fire is not linked to a fatal A66 crash that killed seven people, including two officers, though they had earlier not ruled out a connection to broader gang violence. Separately, three men, aged 19 and 24 among them, have been arrested on suspicion of firearms offences as part of the organised crime crackdown.