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A66 funeral triggers closures
Schools in Middlesbrough are closing early on Friday as the first funeral for one of five young men killed in the A66 head-on crash takes place, with South Bank Primary School set to close at 12pm.
“Supt John Wrintmore from Cleveland Police said there was potential for traffic disruption and delays from 15:00 to 17:00 on Friday.”
The funeral is understood to be for Jakub Matusiak, also known as Jacob, and it is due to take place at St John’s Church on Normanby Road in Middlesbrough.
The crash happened near South Bank on 22 August when a Volkswagen Passat travelled the wrong way on the dual carriageway and hit a police car, killing PC Matthew Blades, 37, and PC Tom Clough, 38, along with five men in the Passat.
Cleveland Police said it was expecting the event to cause traffic disruption and delays from 15:00 to 17:00, and Supt John Wrintmore said police were working with highways departments to minimise disruption.
In an open letter, Conservative MP Laura Trott called on Education Secretary Lucy Powell to ensure the schools remain open, while the shadow education secretary called for sufficient police support to be provided to keep schools in the area safe.
Officials weigh safety vs absence
Shadow Education Secretary Laura Trott said children should not be kept out of classrooms after schools announced they would shut early due to a funeral linked to the fatal A66 crash.
Trott said she had been informed that numerous schools were closing early, citing "transport disruption" due to commemorations for those who were not serving in the line of duty on 22 August, and she added, "I do not think we should support this."
Redcar and Cleveland Council said the Mackenzie Thorpe Centre would close all day and some SEND children who live in the South Bank area and attend other schools may be collected earlier in the day.
Cleveland Police said the funeral is expected to bring "large numbers of people" and that the closures were made after discussions between local headteachers and the council.
The Northern Echo said planned closures included Archway Academy Teesville at 11.45am, St Peter’s at 12pm, South Bank Primary at 12pm, Outwood Academy Normanby at 12pm, St Margaret Clitherow’s Catholic Primary School at 12.15, and Mackenzie Thorpe School closed all day.
Police operation and next steps
Police are preparing for the funeral procession, with Sky News reporting that police were waiting near the procession "for the prospect of trouble" after cars were set alight at a vigil for Michael Cahill last week.
“police are waiting near the funeral procession "for the prospect of trouble"”
Sky News said Durham Constabulary were called to a private field, 20 miles north of the crash site, where five vehicles were wrecked as a large crowd gathered, and officers said it was safest to let the vehicles burn out.
Cleveland Police expect crowds to attend with quad bikes and motorbikes, warning the public of potential traffic disruption and delays in these areas.
A fundraiser for the families of the two officers killed in the crash reached its £1.2million target, with Chronicle Live reporting that almost 44,000 people donated to the GoFundMe page created by the Cleveland Police Federation.
Teesside Live said the funeral of Jakub Matusiak is taking place on Friday, September 4, at 3pm at St John the Evangelist in South Bank, while funerals for other victims were scheduled for September 7, September 8, and September 9 at St Bede's Chapel, Teesside Crematorium.