SEVEN PEOPLE, INCLUDING two police officers, have died in a crash on the A66 near Middlesbrough following a pursuit in the early hours of Saturday.

A Volkswagen Passat was travelling the wrong way down the A66 and collided with a police vehicle on the same road going in the right direction, Cleveland Police said.

Two serving police officers in the marked vehicle and five members of the public travelling in the Passat were pronounced dead at the scene after the crash at 3.39am on Saturday.

The families of those identified have been informed and are being offered specialist support, police said.

There was significant emergency response at the scene with Cleveland Police saying people should use alternative routes as the road “will remain closed for some time”.

North East Ambulance Service said it had been called to a three-vehicle crash and sent 14 units to the scene including ambulance crews, a specialist paramedic, a hazardous area response team and a doctor from Great North Air Ambulance Service.

A spokesperson for the service said: “Sadly, despite the best efforts of everyone attending, a number of patients died at the scene.

“We send condolences to all of those affected by such a tragic event and thank everyone for all they did to help.”

A police cordon at the scene of a fatal crash involving a police car and a Volkswagen Passat on the A66 in South Bank (Tom Wilkinson/PA)

An investigation was opened just after 6am on Saturday following a mandatory referral from the force, the watchdog said.

A Cleveland Police spokesperson said: “We are working to identify the victims and contact their families. This is a quickly-evolving incident and we ask that members of the public respectfully avoid speculation.”

Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC) director of investigations Nicola Marfleet said: “This is a tragic incident, and my thoughts are with family and friends and all those affected, including the emergency services in attendance.”

She added investigators have been sent to start reviewing evidence, and the watchdog is cooperating with Cleveland Police to establish the circumstances of the collision.

The chairwoman of Cleveland Police Federation said: “Words cannot describe the pain the Cleveland Police family are feeling today.

“Our colleagues who should have been going home to their loved ones at the end of their shifts are not. And that is just unfathomable.

“Cleveland Police Federation will be offering full support to our fallen colleagues’ families and they have all of our love and care at this time.

“When the time is right we will pay full tribute to our brave colleagues. But we can assure that their sacrifice will never be forgotten.”

In a statement, the federation said it was supporting the two officers’ close colleagues and asked people to “spare a thought” for the Cleveland Police officers at work following the deaths.

UK home secretary Shabana Mahmood said the crash on the A66 in which seven people died was “devastating”.

She said: “A devastating incident in Teesside this morning in which seven people have died, including two police officers.

“Cleveland police have my support as they work to identify all those involved.

“Police officers put their own safety on the line to protect their communities every single day.

“The two officers were on active duty, serving the people of Cleveland.”

Anna Turley, MP for the Redcar constituency where the crash happened, said: “I am deeply saddened to hear of the fatal collision on the A66 this morning.

“My thoughts are with the families and loved ones of those who have lost their lives, and with everyone affected by this terrible incident.

“Thank you to all of our emergency services, who have worked through the night responding to this devastating incident.”

She added: “We would ask everyone to avoid speculating online to respect the families and the police while they do their work at this terrible time.”

David Taylor and Stephen Martin, councillors for the Eston ward, where the crash happened, said they were “deeply saddened” by the “unimaginable tragedy”.