Schools close early again for A66 crash funeral

A number of schools will again close early on the day of the funeral for one of the men who died in a crash which killed seven, including two police officers.

Theo Rae, 17, was among the five in a car which went the wrong way down the A66 near Middlesbrough in the early hours of 22 August and hit an oncoming Cleveland Police vehicle.

Middlesbrough Council said some schools had chosen to close ahead of Monday's funeral, including a primary school which claimed the move would "ensure safe transit home for all our families".

Schools in neighbouring South Bank closed early on Friday for Jakub Matusiak's funeral, which police said "passed without issue" and with "very minimal traffic disruption".

Rae's funeral is to take place at Teesside Crematorium, Acklam, Middlesbrough, on Monday afternoon.

The funeral cortege is expected to travel around Middlesbrough before going to St Bede's Chapel on Acklam Road.

Cleveland Police said Ladgate Lane, Ormesby Road, Cargo Fleet Lane and Acklam Road will all be affected.

Last week, Education Secretary Lucy Powell said she trusted headteachers to make decisions to keep their communities safe.

But ahead of Monday's funeral, Conservative Party leader Kemi Badenoch said it was "obscene" to see schools close once again in the area.

"Lucy Powell should be ashamed that she has refused to intervene," she wrote on X.

Badenoch said: "It was bad enough that schools closed early last week but it is completely unfathomable that the Labour government has not stopped it happening again this week."

Labour MP for Middlesbrough South and East Cleveland Luke Myer responded by saying he was "sick of politicians like Kemi Badenoch trying to score political points when we on Teesside are dealing with a tragedy".

"She knows that since the Tories spun off our schools into academy trusts, local headteachers make decisions independently from politicians, so it's ridiculous to somehow claim it's Labour's fault."

A spokesperson for Redcar and Cleveland Borough Council said the decision last week to close some schools early came "after careful consideration of the potential impact on home-to-school transport".

For Cleveland Police, Supt John Wrintmore said the closures had not been made on its recommendation but the force was liaising with others in the area about expected disruption.

He said: "There will be a proportionate visible police presence in the affected areas to ensure public safety, in line with our plans for any significant gathering."

Middlesbrough Council said some schools had chosen to close early "based on the possibility of localised traffic disruption leading to delays later in the afternoon".

Outwood Academy Acklam will close at 12:15 BST, Newham Bridge Primary School at 13:00 and Acklam Whin Primary School and Green Lane School in Acklam at 13:15.

In a letter to parents, Newham Bridge Primary said the closure was to "ensure safe transit home for all our families".

Outwood Academy Acklam said the decision had been reached "after careful consideration of the potential impact on pupils, staff and families travelling to and from the school".

The head-on crash that killed seven people on the A66 happened at 03:39 BST on 22 August.

PC Matthew Blades, 37, and PC Tom Clough, 38, died at the scene.

The five occupants of a VW Passat, Michael Robert Cahill, 23, Jakub Matusiak, 23, Makai Saddington, 18, and 17-year-olds Theo Rae and Cole Robert Worthy, also died.

Several people have since been arrested as part of a wider police operation into organised crime.

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