Schools to close early again for A66 crash funeral

A number of schools will close early again due to a funeral for one of the young men who died in a crash which killed seven people, including two police officers.

Theo Rae, 17, was among the five in the car which went the wrong way down the A66 near Middlesbrough in the early hours of 22 August and hit an oncoming Cleveland Police vehicle.

Middlesbrough Council said a number of schools had chosen to close for the teenager's funeral, including a primary school which said it would "ensure safe transit home for all our families".

Schools in neighbouring South Bank closed early on Friday for Jakub Matusiak's funeral. Police said it "passed without issue" and with "very minimal traffic disruption".

Rae's funeral is to take place at Teesside Crematorium, Acklam, Middlesbrough, on Monday afternoon.

The funeral cortege is expected to travel around Middlesbrough before moving onto St Bede's Chapel on Acklam Road.

Cleveland police said Ladgate Lane, Ormesby Road, Cargo Fleet Lane and Acklam Road will all be affected

The leader of the Conservative Party, Kemi Badenoch, said it was "obscene" to see schools close once again in the area.

"Lucy Powell should be ashamed that she has refused to intervene," she wrote on X.

Badenoch added: "It was bad enough that schools closed early last week but it is completely unfathomable that the Labour government has not stopped it happening again this week."

Last week, education secretary Lucy Powell said she trusted headteachers to make decisions to keep their communities safe.

A spokesperson for Redcar and Cleveland Borough Council also said the decision was made for last week's funeral "after careful consideration of the potential impact on home-to-school transport".

Cleveland police's Supt John Wrintmore said the closures had not been made on their recommendation and said the force was liaising with partners in the area about expected disruption.

He said: "There will be a proportionate visible police presence in the affected areas to ensure public safety, in line with our plans for any significant gathering."

Middlesbrough Council said some schools had chosen to close early "based on the possibility of localised traffic disruption leading to delays later in the afternoon".

Outwood Academy Acklam will close at 12:15 BST, Newham Bridge Primary School at 13:00 and Acklam Whin Primary School and Green Lane School in Acklam at 13:15.

In a letter to parents, Newham Bridge Primary School said the closure was to "ensure safe transit home for all our families".

Outwood Academy Acklam said the decision had been reached "after careful consideration of the potential impact on pupils, staff and families travelling to and from the school".

The head-on crash happened at about 03:39 BST on 22 August.

Officers PC Matthew Blades, 37, and PC Tom Clough, 38, died at the scene.

The five occupants of the VW Passat, Michael Robert Cahill, 23, Jakub Matusiak, 23, Makai Saddington, 18, and 17-year-olds Theo Rae and Cole Robert Worthy, also died.

Dozens of people have since been arrested as part of a wider police operation against organised crime, following the crash.

Follow BBC Tees on X, Facebook, Nextdoor and Instagram and listen to Radio Tees on BBC Sounds.