Funeral held for PC Matthew Blades, one of two officers killed in A66 crash
PC Matthew Blades is being laid to rest today, a week after he and PC Tom Clough died in the A66 crash that also killed five others.
The Full Story
A plain summary built from the channels that reported this story.
The funeral of Cleveland police officer PC Matthew Blades is taking place today in Hartlepool, a week after he and his colleague PC Tom Clough were killed in a road crash on the A66 near Middlesbrough. The two officers died when a Volkswagen Passat travelling the wrong way down the road collided with their marked police car. Five young men in the Volkswagen also died, bringing the total number of deaths to seven.
PC Blades, a former English teacher and a football coach, was remembered by his family as "the heart of the family" and a man who "brought light and laughter into any room he walked into". In a statement read on their behalf, they said: "Matthew was a best friend, a husband, a father, a brother and a son. There aren't any words powerful enough to describe how the family feel."
Tributes have been paid across the football community. Before Middlesbrough's match against West Bromwich Albion at the Riverside Stadium, supporters and players joined in a round of applause for the two officers. PC Blades was also remembered at Seaton Carew Football Club, where he coached. The under-10s team he coached has been renamed FC Blades in his honour.
More than £1.2 million has been raised in an online fund to support the families of the two officers. Around 200 officers from neighbouring forces have been brought in to help with the investigation and provide public reassurance, allowing PC Blades' Cleveland Police colleagues to attend the funeral in full police honours.
The crash has also prompted wider reflection on the risks police officers take. At a memorial event, one coach who knew PC Blades said: "Brilliant bloke, brilliant dad, brilliant coach, just cared for everybody. The way that he died and being on duty, I think, has almost matched what he, you know, given himself to something else again."
The investigation into the crash continues.
On screen
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Key Claims
Claims reported during this story's coverage, grouped by how many channels reported each one. Select a dot to see the source excerpt.
| Claim |  |  |  |  |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Widely reported · 3 or more of 4 channels | ||||
| Seven people died in the collision, including the two officers. | Reported by Channel 5 | Reported by BBC One | Reported by Sky News | |
| Football players and fans paid tribute to two police officers who died in a road accident in Cleveland. | Not reported by BBC One | |||
| The funeral of PC Matthew Blades was to take place in Hartlepool. | Reported by Channel 5 | Reported by BBC One | Not reported by ITV | |
| Only on one channel | ||||
| A crash occurred on the A66 in Middlesbrough last weekend. | Not reported by Channel 5 | Not reported by BBC One | Not reported by ITV | |
| More than £1.2 million was raised to support the families of the two officers. | Not reported by Channel 5 | Not reported by BBC One | Not reported by ITV | Reported by Sky News |
| PC Blades had links to both Middlesbrough and Seaton Carew football clubs. | Not reported by Channel 5 | Not reported by BBC One | Not reported by ITV | |
| The crash involved a Volkswagen Passat travelling the wrong way on the A66. | Not reported by Channel 5 | Not reported by BBC One | Not reported by ITV | |
| The officers were identified as Matthew Blades and Tom Clough. | Not reported by Channel 5 | Not reported by BBC One | Not reported by Sky News | |
| The under-10s team coached by PC Blades was renamed FC Blades in his honour. | Not reported by Channel 5 | Not reported by BBC One | Not reported by ITV | Reported by Sky News |
Channel Perspectives
What each channel focused on, with key quotes.
This channel gave a very brief mention of the story, focusing only on the football tribute. It did not provide any details about the crash, the victims, or the funeral, treating it as a minor item among other news.
- “Football players and fans have paid tribute to the two police officers killed in last Saturday's road accident in Cleveland.”
ITV News covered the tribute at Middlesbrough Football Club and noted the total number of deaths. It was concise but included the key fact that seven people died in the collision, and framed the tribute as touching.
- “There was a touching tribute at Middlesbrough Football Club today, as supporters paid tribute to the two police officers killed in last Saturday's two-vehicle crash.”
- “The Cleveland officers were among seven to lose their life in the collision.”
This segment focused on the emotional impact of the deaths, including tributes at two football clubs and personal recollections from coaches. It also used the tragedy to discuss the risks police officers take, drawing a broader lesson about public service and sacrifice.
- “Brilliant bloke, brilliant dad, brilliant coach, just cared for everybody.”
- “I know part of his job in the police is always going to be some risk, but it should never come to the point where a family's lost a husband, a dad.”
- “It also is a reminder in what's happened here of the risk that police officers take.”
This segment reported on the funeral of PC Matthew Blades and read a statement from his family. It also recapped the crash details, including the five young men who died, and highlighted the family's grief in a personal way.
- “Matthew was a best friend a husband father a brother and a son and There aren't any words powerful enough to describe how the family feel”
- “He's been described as bringing light and laughter into any way we walked into and now life feels unbearably quiet without him”
This was the most detailed coverage, with a correspondent at the funeral. It provided background on PC Blades' career as a teacher and football coach, noted the renaming of the under-10s team to FC Blades, and reported on the £1.2 million fundraising total and the large police presence. It also read the family statement in full.
- “Matthew was a best friend a husband father a brother and a son and There aren't any words powerful enough to describe how the family feel”
- “He was also a football coach for a couple of teams at Seaton Carew and in Hartlepool and in fact the under-10s team that he coached has now been renamed FC Blades in his honor”
- “over 1.2 million Pounds has been raised in an online fund to help the help support the families of the two police Officers”
Broadcast Timeline
News broadcasts tracked for this story, in time order.