Middlesbrough FC fans applaud PCs Matthew Blades and Tom Clough as King Charles writes to their families
Masked youths set cars ablaze at an A66 crash vigil, mirroring the street violence that has left Middlesbrough requiring 200 drafted-in officers after nine deaths.The unrest, centred on Middlesbrough, has seen gangs exploit the aftermath of tragedy to terrorise streets, prompting authorities to label it Britain's most dangerous town.PC Matthew Blades is among the nine people whose deaths have drawn gangs to exploit grief, fuelling the violence now gripping Middlesbrough.PC Tom Clough is one of nine people whose deaths have drawn gang exploitation and unrest severe enough to require 200 additional officers in Middlesbrough.
Thousands of supporters at Riverside Stadium united in a minute's applause before Middlesbrough's Championship fixture against West Bromwich Albion, with images of both officers displayed on stadium screens. Pc Matthew Blades, 37, and Pc Tom Clough, 38, were killed on 22 August when a VW Passat drove the wrong way on the A66 and struck their police car. King Charles wrote personal letters of condolence to both officers' widows. A GoFundMe set up by Cleveland Police has already exceeded £1 million from more than 38,000 donors.
