Multiple people dead in crash involving police vehicle near Middlesbrough

Multiple people have died after a crash involving a police vehicle in the early hours of Saturday morning, police said.

The crash, which also involved a Volkswagen Passat, took place on the A66 in South Bank, near Middlesbrough, at about 3.39am on Saturday.

There is a significant emergency response at the scene, and people should use alternative routes as the road “will remain closed for some time”, Cleveland Police said.

A Cleveland Police spokesperson said: “Around 3.39am this morning, a collision took place involving a police vehicle and a Volkswagen Passat on the A66 in South Bank.

“Sadly, the collision has resulted in multiple fatalities. There are significant emergency vehicles on the scene and the road will remain closed for some time.

“The public are asked to use alternative routes.

“We are working to identify the victims and contact their families. This is a quickly evolving incident, and we ask that members of the public respectfully avoid speculation.”

A spokesperson for North East Ambulance Service said: “We were called to a serious road traffic incident involving two vehicles on the A66 at South Bank at 3.39am on August 22.

“We sent 14 ambulance resources to the scene, including emergency ambulance crews, a specialist paramedic, our Hazardous Area Response Team and a doctor from Great North Air Ambulance Service.

“Sadly, despite the best efforts of everyone attending, a number of patients died at the scene. We send condolences to all of those affected by such a tragic event and thank everyone for all they did to help.”

This is a breaking news story and will continue to be updated…