Videos showing activity that is against the law are not automatically illegalpublished at 13:11 BST

13:11 BST

Zoe Kleinman
Technology and AI editor

There’s a lot of discussion today about videos featuring dangerous driving, previously filmed by one of the men in the Passat and shared on TikTok.

We don’t know whether he intended for them to be part of a particular social media challenge or trend.

TikTok since has taken the videos and the account down, saying the content violated its terms and conditions.

But it might surprise you to hear that, in the UK, the videos themselves are not necessarily illegal.

According to the Online Safety Act, videos showing activity that is against the law, are not automatically illegal as well.

Considerations include whether the material is visible to children, and whether it has come from a known terrorist group. And it is up to the social network, not the police or the online safety regulator Ofcom, to decide for itself whether the material breaks the law, based on hundreds of pages of guidance published by the watchdog.

Ofcom opened an investigation into TikTok’s compliance with the Act back in July and says it is prepared to take action if it finds the platform has fallen short.

No 10 says it has urged TikTok and other social media platforms to remove wrong-way driving videos from its platforms after two police officers and five others were killed in a crash on the A66.

“The glorification of dangerous driving for clips and entertainment is utterly disgraceful and that is why we have raised the issue of this appalling content with social media companies since the tragedy," says a spokesperson for Downing Street.

The Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport Lisa Nandy says there is a legal obligation to remove the content from platforms.

Regulatory bodies like Ofcom she says, has the Government’s “full backing to take tough action” against platforms which fail in their legal duties.

Court records show 18-year-old Makai Saddington pleaded guilty to assaulting a police officer and of causing racially aggravated alarm or distress to another in Middlesbrough on 9 June.

He appeared before Teesside Magistrates’ Court on 17 July charged with the offences and was given a conditional discharge for 12 months on both offences (concurrent) and ordered to pay the police officer £50 compensation.

Saddington was one of five people killed when the Volkswagen Passat they were in collided with a police vehicle. Two officers, PC Matthew Blades and PC Tom Clough, also died in the crash.

Cleveland Police has thanked people who passed on their condolences following the deaths of PC Tom Clough and PC Matthew Blades.

The force invited people who wanted to submit a message of condolence to use their online form, external.

It says floral tributes can be left at the Memorial Garden at Cleveland Police HQ in Hemlington or any Cleveland Police station, and added there was a safe site in front of the South Tees Business Park sign for people who wanted to leave flowers close to the scene safely

It added the only official fundraising page for the families was by the Cleveland Police Federation.

Image source, PA Media

Security camera footage obtained on Saturday appears to show several police vehicles chasing a car moments before the fatal collision.

The clip is thought to have been captured on Lime Road in Middlesbrough at 03:36 BST.

About three minutes later, a Volkswagen Passat travelling the wrong way on the nearby A66 collided with a marked police vehicle.

PC Matthew Blades and PC Tom Clough died in the crash, along with the five occupants of the Passat.

PC Tom Clough's commanding officer from his time serving with the Civil Nuclear Constabulary (CNC) has paid tribute to his “warmth, humour and authenticity”.

The CNC says PC Clough joined in 2013 and served until April 2018 as an authorised firearms officer based at Sellafield Operational Policing Unit.

Ch Supt Richard Clark says: "Tom was the epitome of professionalism, bringing dedication, skill and commitment to every task, whether serving within our Dynamic Search and Interdiction Team, or in his role as a Police Medic.

"Yet what made Tom truly special was his personality.

"Alongside his professional excellence, he possessed a fun-loving, cheeky nature and a wit that could lift spirits even during the most demanding shifts.

"He had an extraordinary ability to light up any room he entered and to bring people together through his warmth, humour and authenticity."

Image source, Cleveland Police

️A college where one of the officers killed in the A66 crash worked as a teacher has paid tribute to him on social media.

Carmel College in Darlington says PC Matthew Blades worked there as an English teacher before he joined Cleveland Police.

"Many within our community will remember Matty as an intelligent, kind and approachable teacher, a valued colleague and someone who gave generously of himself to the young people in his care," the statement says.

"We remember with great affection the contribution he made to life at Carmel and give thanks for the difference he made during his time with us," it adds.

The college says "our thoughts and prayers" are with Matthew’s wife, his two sons, and all those who knew and loved him. It also sent condolences to PC Tom Clough's friends and loved ones.

The social media post included an image of PC Blades posing with a running medal.

Image source, Instagram/@carmelcollegedarlington

Saturday

03:39: A collision involving a police vehicle and a Volkswagen Passat takes place on the A66 in South Bank, near Middlesbrough

08:28: Cleveland Police posts its first statement about the incident

13:29: Police confirm seven people have died as a result of the crash

15:51: Prime Minister Andy Burnham says he is "devastated to hear that two police officers have lost their lives"

16:25: Police name the two officers killed in the crash as PC Tom Clough and PC Matthew Blades

Sunday

13:35: Police name five occupants of the Volkswagen Passat killed in the crash

14:49: The Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC) releases its initial findings from an investigation into the crash

17:13: Cleveland Police release tribute from the family of PC Tom Clough, describing him as "our hero with a fantastic sense of humour"

19:49: Cleveland Police release tribute from PC Matthew Blades' wife. She says the pain of losing him is "beyond words", and that the family's lives "will never be the same"

As we reported earlier, wellwishers have been leaving floral tributes and messages close to the scene of the collision on the A66.

People have also left tributes outside Cleveland Police HQ Memorial Garden in memory of PC Tom Clough and PC Matthew Blades who were killed in Saturday's crash.

Photos from this morning show a Cleveland Police officer placing two bouquets of flowers among the growing number of tributes.

Image source, PA Media

Image source, PA Media

Pamela Tickell
BBC News, North East and Cumbria

The westbound carriageway of the A66 has reopened between Normanby Road and Church Lane in South Bank.

It was closed both ways throughout the weekend to allow repairs to be made to the carriageway after the crash.

Redcar and Cleveland Council leader Alec Brown said the local authority was still carrying out checks on the eastbound carriageway to ensure it could reopen safely.

The A66 is the major artery through Teesside and the location of the crash is surrounded by industrial units and factories.

Image source, PA Media

The Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC), often referred to as the police watchdog, is the body responsible for investigating police conduct in England and Wales.

As an independent body, the IOPC says its decisions are "made entirely independently of the police and government".

It previously stated the investigation into the fatal A66 crash was launched following a self-referral from Cleveland Police, which is mandatory "when someone dies following police contact".

In an update on Sunday afternoon, the IOPC said that the police pursuit of the Volkswagen involved in the crash was aborted about 10 seconds before the collision.

Its director of engagement, Derrick Campbell, says investigators have so far obtained "initial accounts of officers involved in the pursuit, the incident log and in car footage of the incident".

“IOPC investigators will continue to review and analyse all the evidence that is available to us," he adds.

A Gofundme set up to provide support for the families of PC Tom Clough and PC Matthew Blades has surpassed £360,000.

It was set up by the Cleveland Police Federation, which said the officers paid the "ultimate sacrifice in the line of duty".

The funds, it says, will be split equally between their two families and used as they wish.

The identities of all seven people who died in Saturday's crash were confirmed by Cleveland Police yesterday. Their names are:

Two police officers

• PC Matthew Blades, 37
• PC Tom Clough, 38

Five killed in Passat

• Michael Robert Cahill, 23
• Theo Rae, 17
• Cole Robert Worthy, 17
• Jakub Matusiak, 23
• Makai Saddington, 18

Pamela Tickell
BBC News, North East and Cumbria

On BBC Radio 4's Today programme Matt Storey was asked about reports that at least one of the young men had been involved in filming dangerous driving in TikTok videos.

Storey said: "Yeah, there has been speculation around that, but what I've been trying to say all throughout this is it's really best for people to avoid that kind of speculation."

But talking about the social media trend, he said: "Without being able to say whether that was anything like involved in this case, it's absolutely idiotic for anybody to be doing anything other than being completely 100% focused on the road when they're behind the wheel of a vehicle.

"And for somebody to be filming themselves or doing anything like that is absolutely ridiculous, and of course nobody should be doing that.

"And it is a worrying situation if that's becoming more prevalent because it is incredibly dangerous.

"As I say, it may not have been the case in this situation, we don't know, but anybody who is doing that, wherever it might be, is absolutely wrong to do so."

TikTok video appears to show killed teen in previous police chasepublished at 10:25 BST

10:25 BST

By Benedict Garman

A TikTok account believed to belong to Makai Saddington, one of the teenagers who died in Saturday's crash, includes a video of him and four other young people involved in what appears to be a police car chase.

It was published on TikTok on 25 March 2025 and has since been deleted, along with the account.

The video starts with the view out of the rear window of an Audi as a police car with its lights flashing chases it through a residential area.

BBC Verify geolocated the route and found that of the approximately 1km (0.6 miles) driven in the video, only the first 100m is on a road.

The rest of the video is driving on footpaths and parkland in Ormesby, Middlesbrough.

Towards the end of the video, which lasts 1 minute 34 seconds, the camera turns and a young person, who appears to be Saddington, smiles at the camera.

Facial comparison software matches other images of Saddington to the passenger in the rear of this Audi with very high confidence.

Another video posted by the same account, also since deleted, appears to show a joyride where a passenger is smoking, with the speedometer showing 100mph (160kph).

Then, later in the video, a different car is set on fire. The passengers in this video are not identifiable.

The Defence Minister Luke Pollard has called on social media companies to remove posts that celebrate dangerous driving.

Speaking to the BBC he says he wants to see social media companies "step up".

"They know exactly what content is on their site, they know how their algorithms work, they also know that people post content to get views. The more views you can get - sometimes you get money for it.

He says there's a "financial incentive" to post "outrageous content" that can bring more views.

"When it's dangerous and unsafe like this, let's be absolutely clear, that content should not be online, should not be celebrating this type of behaviour and I hope social media companies take it down."

The collection of flowers, balloons and cards for the victims has been growing on the junction of the A66 and Church/Eston Road.

Among the tributes was a toy police car and hand-drawn pictures of officers.

One of the letters read: "To go to work to keep our area safe and to not return home is truly heartbreaking.

"Our heroes."

Another said: "To the brave officers who made the ultimate sacrifice in the name of duty."

One of the letter paid tribute to the young men saying: "Rest easy lads.

"We'll hold the memories forever."

Image source, BBC / Philippa Goymer

Image source, BBC / Philippa Goymer

Locals and police officers have been leaving floral tributes and messages at a cordon at the scene of Saturday's crash.

One couple spoke to the BBC at the cordon over the weekend. They said the "absolutely awful" crash would "affect our whole community".

Elisia and Vincent Haarhoff said they wanted to come down to express their solidarity with police, who lost two of their colleagues.

"No family deserves that," said Elisia. "God bless all the families, honestly."

She added: "We wanted to come... [the police here have] always been so lovely."

Vincent said the couple have relied on police a few times and know "quite a few of them", although they didn't know PC Matthew Blades or PC Tom Clough, who died in the crash on Saturday.

Cleveland Police and Crime Commissioner Matt Storey says compassion is "important" for police during this time.

"Those 999 calls don't stop, we've still got officers going out everyday dealing with those kind of issues, tackling crime locally they've got to continue doing this knowing what's happened, they're incredibly brave continuing to do the good work that they do."

Speaking to BBC Radio Teesside he says Cleveland Police officers are "highly regarded" and have been there for their community in their time of need.

"We need to be there now for Cleveland Police now as they deal with this tragedy."

His message for the wider community is that they can approach officers and ask how they are, he hopes for an "arm around a shoulder" for them.

"Let's just keep thinking about our police force in a positive way at this time because they need our support," he adds.

The crash happened on the eastbound section of the A66 in South Bank, near Middlesbrough on Teesside, at about 03:39 BST on Saturday.

The Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC) says officers "sighted a suspicious vehicle" and a pursuit began, however the pursuit - which lasted "just under seven minutes" - had ended shortly before the fatal crash.

According to the IOPC, the Volkswagen Passat started travelling the wrong way on the A66 and "approximately 10 seconds later" it collided with another police car - which was not part of the pursuit and was in the area "to assist in a search for the Passat believed to be using cloned plates".

The crash killed officers PC Matthew Blades and PC Tom Clough, as well as the five occupants of the Passat.