The funeral for PC Tom Clough, the second police officer killed in a wrong-way crash while on duty, is scheduled to take place later today. PC Clough, 38, died on the A66 in South Bank, near Middlesbrough, in the early hours of 22 August.
He was killed alongside his colleague PC Matthew Blades when a Volkswagen Passat collided with their marked armed police car. The five young men in the Passat also died in the incident.
PC Blades' funeral was held on Wednesday in Hartlepool, attended by hundreds of police officers and community members. Lauren Somerville, chair of Cleveland Police Federation, stated that PC Clough's partner expressed gratitude for the public's support, which has provided them with strength.
Officers had been pursuing the Passat moments before the collision, after its cloned registration plates activated an automated number plate recognition camera. However, PC Blades and PC Clough were not involved in the pursuit, according to the Independent Office for Police Conduct.
More than £1.2 million has been raised to assist the families of PC Blades and PC Clough through a fundraiser organised by the Cleveland Police Federation.