More than 200 additional police officers have been drafted to Middlesbrough in the aftermath of the A66 crash that killed seven people.

The Teesside town has been mourning the deaths of five young men and two police officers after a Volkswagen Passat travelling on the wrong side of the A66 smashed into the patrol vehicle in the early hours of Saturday.

Since the deadly collision in the South Bank neighbourhood, a spate of violence has followed in nearby areas.

Rumours are also swirling claiming that the five young men inside the Passat – Cole Worthy, 17, Theo Rae, 17, Makai Saddington, 18, and 23-year-olds Michael Robert Cahill and Jacob Matusiak – had gang links.

Armed police descended on Eston this afternoon after a man, 39, was stabbed on Sedgemoor Road, while a vehicle rammed into the wall of a home in nearby South Bank this morning.

A seven-year-old girl and her aunt died after a mysterious house fire in Grangetown yesterday, which has seen two men, aged 23 and 31, arrested for murder, and fuelled online speculation.

Meanwhile, a home in Acklam which was damaged by a vehicle linked to the Volkswagen Passat carrying the young men on Saturday night allegedly belonged to the dad of one of the victims.

The reinforcements have been sent in to help Cleveland Police after growing concern over possible further violence.

Councillor Alec Brown, the leader of Redcar and Cleveland Council, said they have been drafted from forces around the country and include detectives and armed officers.

He said: ‘Over 200 extra police officers from forces around the country are here and are on route, from detectives to armed response.

‘I will sending a letter today to our Prime Minister asking for even more resource.’

No arrests have been made in connection with the Eston stabbing this afternoon and the investigation continues.

Detectives have not ruled out a link between the assault and the A66 crash.

Locals have been left to grapple with the effects of the ‘senseless’ events.

The brother of Natalie McDonald, 34, who was killed in the house fire with her niece Valentina Foster, seven, has denied rumours claiming her sister’s death was a gangland retribution.

Josh Kirton said: ‘My sister was not involved with anything to do with gangs, or the (crash on the) A66.

‘That’s what makes this so senseless.

‘People think they can do whatever they like.

‘There’s some terrible people in the world and now my sister and Valentina have gone.’

Terry Chapman, who grew up in Grove Hill, Middlesbrough, returned to the town to pay his respects to Ms McDonald and Ms Foster.

He said the house fire was an extreme example of attacks on houses in the area, adding that ‘the vast majority of people are law-abiding and they are having to put up with all this feral behaviour.’

Meanwhile, the inquest opened today into the deaths of PC Tom Clough, 38, and PC Matthew Blades, 37, killed in the wrong way crash.

Their provisional cause of death was head and neck injuries. The inquest was adjourned.

The cases were also opened into the deaths of the five young men.

Matusiak died of neck injuries, Cahill of head and torso injuries, Saddington and Rae of head injuries and Worthy of chest injuries. All men were identified by fingerprint analysis, the coroner said.

All of the men except Cahill had criminal records, including motoring offences.

Seventeen people have been arrested in an ongoing investigation following the crash, including a 16-year-old boy and two men aged 18 and 21 on suspicion of taking part in organised crime.

Get in touch with our news team by emailing us at webnews@metro.co.uk.

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