HE WAS SO MUCH MORE THAN A POLICE OFFICER… — AS PC MATTHEW BLADES’ FAMILY PREPARES TO SAY THEIR FINAL GOODBYE, THEY FINALLY OPEN UP ABOUT THE PROUD PAST THAT MADE HIM THE MAN THEY LOVED
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PC Matthew Blades(Image: Cleveland Police )
The funeral of one of the two police officers who lost their lives in a wrong-way collision is set to be held today (September 9).
PC Matthew Blades, 37, and PC Tom Clough, 38, were killed when a Volkswagen Passat struck their marked armed response vehicle on the A66 at South Bank, near Middlesbrough, on August 22. Five young men also lost their lives in the crash.
Road closures will be in effect in Hartlepool from 7.30am ahead of PC Blades’ full police ceremonial funeral. Speaking on behalf of his family, Cleveland Police Federation chair Lauren Somerville said “life feels unbearably quiet” without the father-of-two’s “silly jokes” and laughter.
Somerville revealed that floral tributes had been delivered to the force’s stations, with messages of condolence arriving from as far afield as Australia, France and America. “The support has been overwhelming, and it’s been comforting,” she said.
Somerville added that even modest gestures of respect from members of the public, such as a nod or a word of thanks when spotting officers on duty, had given colleagues “so much strength”.
The Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC) confirmed that officers had been pursuing the Passat for nearly seven minutes after it was linked to alleged earlier criminal activity, though the chase was called off just 10 seconds before the collision when the vehicle turned onto the dual carriageway. PC Blades and PC Clough were in a vehicle searching for the Passat after its cloned registration plates activated an automated number plate recognition camera, though they were not part of the pursuit, according to the IOPC.
Cole Worthy and Theo Rae, both 17, Makai Saddington, 18, and 23-year-olds Michael Cahill and Jakub Matusiak also lost their lives in the collision. Hutton Avenue in Hartlepool will be shut from the junction with Mulgrave Road, along with St Paul’s Road and South Road from the junction with Mitchell Street.
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(Image: Ian Forsyth, Getty Images)
Any vehicles remaining parked on these roads after 7.30am will be towed. Somerville said: “All of the officers across the country will have felt this and Cleveland is such a small force, so it’s personal to have lost Matthew and Tom. I think the common feeling has been a sense of duty and a sense of pride, doing everything we can to make it perfect.”
The force federation chair stated that Cleveland officers would be standing side-by-side in uniform at the funeral “filled with pride and dignity”. “I’ve spoken to Matthew’s family and he was described as a best friend, a husband, a father, a brother and a son,” Somerville said.
“He was funny and his laughter and silly jokes made them smile even when they least expected it, he brought light and laughter into every room he came into. And life feels unbearably quiet without him now.”
PC Blades previously taught English at Carmel College in Darlington before joining the police force. The school remembered him as an “intelligent, kind and approachable teacher” who “gave generously of himself to the young people in his care”.
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(Image: NurPhoto, NurPhoto via Getty Images)
SOURCE: https://www.examinerlive.co.uk/news/uk-world-news/pc-matthew-blades-funeral-set-34588648
