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A66 crash funeral closures
Four schools in Middlesbrough are set to close early on Friday September 4 ahead of the funeral of Jakub Matusiak, 23, at St John the Evangelist Church on Normanby Road in South Bank.
“Jakob Matusiak on Friday, September 4”
The closures are tied to expected crowds and “congestion and traffic disruption” around the service, with South Bank Primary School confirming a 12pm closure and Outwood Academy Normanby a 12pm closure.
Archway Academy in Teesville is due to shut at 11:45 BST, while St Margaret Clitherow’s Catholic Primary School in South Bank is scheduled to close at 12:15.
Redcar and Cleveland Council said the Mackenzie Thorpe Centre will close for the day, and some SEND children living in South Bank and attending other schools could be collected earlier.
Cleveland Police said disruption and delays were possible between 15:00 and 17:00 in South Bank, Normanby Road through Teesville, Ormesby, Marton and Acklam Road, as traffic management plans were put in place.
MPs challenge early shut
The decision to stagger closures has drawn political criticism, with the BBC reporting that Conservative MP Laura Trott called on Education Secretary Lucy Powell to ensure the schools remain open.
Laura Trott, described by the BBC as the “open letter” author, said she wanted Powell to ensure the schools remain open, while the shadow education secretary also called for sufficient police support to be provided to keep schools in the area safe.
The Northern Echo reported that Shadow Education Secretary Laura Trott said the Education Secretary Lucy Powell has a duty to “ensure that this does not impact on the honest and decent pupils, parents and teachers in the area”.
Trott also argued that she had been informed numerous schools would close early “citing 'transport disruption'” due to commemorations for those not serving in the line of duty on 22 August.
The BBC said Cleveland Police were expecting traffic disruption and delays and that it had plans in place to ensure public safety, following discussions between local headteachers and Redcar and Cleveland Council.
Crash victims and policing
The funeral is linked to an A66 wrong-way crash near South Bank on 22 August in which a Volkswagen Passat hit a marked police car, killing five young men and two officers.
“PC Matthew Blades, 37, and PC Tom Clough, 38”
BBC reporting said the five men pronounced dead at the scene were Jakub Matusiak, 23, Cole Worthy, 17, Theo Rae, 17, Makai Saddington, 18, and Michael Cahill, 23, and that the two police officers killed were PC Matthew Blades, 37, and PC Tom Clough, 38.
The BBC also said the Volkswagen Passat was being pursued by police until 10 seconds before the crash, according to the police watchdog, and that the Independent Office for Police Conduct said the Passat was believed to be using cloned registration plates.
Sky News reported that “Large numbers of people” are expected to descend on an area of Middlesbrough, causing “congestion and traffic disruption”, and said schools closed early “to ensure pupils' safety”.
Cleveland Police said at least 27 people had been arrested as part of a wider police operation against organised crime following the collision, and the BBC said the event was expected to affect areas including South Bank, Normanby Road through Teesville, Ormesby and Marton, and Acklam Road between 15:00 and 17:00.