Seven dead in UK after vehicle travelling wrong way hits police car

Cleveland Police ​said the incident occurred at 3:39 a.m. (0239 GMT) near ⁠the South Bank area east of Middlesbrough and that all occupants ​of the two vehicles died at the scene.

"This is an incredibly ​sad day for Cleveland," Cleveland Police Chief Constable Victoria Fuller said.

The police force said it had formally identified the passengers in the other car, a ​Volkswagen Passat, and was contacting their families.

Fuller named the two ​dead officers as police constables Matthew Blades, 37, and Tom Clough, 38, describing ‌them ⁠as "brave officers ... who didn't return home to their families at the end of their shift."

Prime Minister Andy Burnham also released a brief statement expressing his sadness at the incident, which as usual in ​such cases will ​be reviewed ⁠by Britain's Independent Office for Police Conduct.

Following two recent head-on crashes near Dublin, one of which killed ​five people, Ireland's police chief this week warned that ​some ⁠young people were driving the wrong way on the motorway "for social media likes".

An Irish parliament committee has asked short-form video platform TikTok to ⁠explain ​how it removes content "that appears to glorify ​dangerous and illegal behaviour on our roads". On Tuesday, Ireland's media regulator made a ​similar request.