Extra 200 police deployed in Teesside after deadly crash and house fire kill nine

An extra 200 police officers are being deployed to the Teesside area of northeast England following two separate tragedies that left nine people dead within days of each other, a local council leader said.

Two tragedies in quick succession

Seven people — including Police Constables Matthew Blades and Tom Clough — were killed in a car crash near South Bank, Middlesbrough, on Saturday. Just days later, a house fire in nearby Grangetown claimed the lives of Natalie McDonald, 34, and her seven-year-old niece Valentina Foster on Wednesday. Two arrests were made within hours of the fire.

Redcar and Cleveland Council leader Alec Brown confirmed the scale of the police response, saying armed officers, dog units and community officers were among those arriving from forces across the country. Cleveland Police confirmed support from the National Crime Agency and forces including Northumbria, Durham, Humberside and North, South and West Yorkshire.

Political response

Prime Minister Andy Burnham described the Grangetown fire as "terribly tragic" and said all possible support would be provided to get to the bottom of what happened. Local Labour MPs issued a joint statement welcoming the national support but calling for long-term investment in policing and fire services in the area, citing underfunding through national formulas.

Brown acknowledged residents' feelings of being left behind: "People from an estate may feel that conscious feeling of being overlooked, but I can assure the people of Grangetown and South Bank they are as important to me as anyone."