Schools close early for A66 crash funeral

A number of schools closed early due to safety concerns over a funeral linked to a crash which killed seven people.

Dozens of people attended the funeral in South Bank, near Middlesbrough, of Jakub Matusiak, 23, one of five young men killed in the head-on collision with a marked police car on the A66.

Head teachers had warned parents that large crowds were expected to gather at St John The Evangelist Church for the funeral, with traffic problems likely, but police reported "minimal" disruption.

The crash on 22 August saw a Volkswagen Passat travelling the wrong way on the dual carriageway near South Bank hit the police car. PC Matthew Blades, 37, and PC Tom Clough, 38, were also killed.

Following the funeral, Supt John Wrintmore said: "Today's events have passed without issue and with very minimal traffic disruption.

"Our policing operation to ensure public safety will take the same approach next week when more funerals are taking place.

"No schools, services or businesses have been instructed to close and any decision to do so have been made by individual organisations and their own risk assessments."

South Bank Primary School, St Peter's and Outwood Academy Normanby were among the schools which closed early on Friday.

Archway Academy in Teesville closed at 11:45 BST and St Margaret Clitherow's Catholic Primary School, in South Bank, at 12:15.

South Bank Primary said it planned to close early "to ensure the safety and wellbeing of our pupils".

Head teacher Tammy Cooper said large numbers of people were expected in the area and some pupils might feel "upset or anxious".

Redcar and Cleveland Council said the Mackenzie Thorpe Centre would be closed all day, with some SEND children who live in the South Bank area collected earlier in the day.

South Bank Library also closed its doors at 12:30 BST.

In an open letter, Conservative MP Laura Trott urged Education Secretary Lucy Powell to ensure local schools remained open and called for sufficient police support to be provided to keep schools in the area safe.

Speaking to BBC Radio 4's Today programme, Powell said she trusted head teachers to "make judgments that they need to make to keep their school community safe".

A spokesperson for Redcar and Cleveland Borough Council said of the closures: "The decision was made after careful consideration of the potential impact on home-to-school transport and the departure of pupils, staff and families at the end of the school day.

"Schools have worked with the local authority and transport providers to consider arrangements for pupils, including those who travel to and from specialist educational settings.

"We recognise that early closure may cause inconvenience for some parents and carers, and we thank them for their understanding and cooperation."

The school decisions came after disorder at a vigil for one of the men who died and where a number of cars were set on fire.

Police have said a total of 24 people had been arrested as part of a wider operation against organised crime following the crash.

The Volkswagen Passat involved in the A66 collision was being pursued by police until 10 seconds before the crash, according to the Independent Office for Police Conduct.

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