In pictures: Hartlepool pays its respects at funeral of Cleveland Police officer PC Matthew Blades

Hartlepool paid tribute to PC Matthew Blades at his funeral following his crash death.

PC Blades, 37, and colleague PC Tom Clough, 38, died when their Cleveland Police vehicle was hit by a Volkswagen Passat travelling the wrong way along the A66, in South Bank, near Middlesbrough, in the early hours of August 22.

Father-of-two PC Blades, who was “described as bringing light and laughter into every room”, was a respected football coach at two Hartlepool junior football clubs.

His funeral service at St Joseph’s Roman Catholic Church, in Hutton Avenue, in Hartlepool, was attended by standard bearers representing every United Kingdom police force.

Five males travelling in the Volkswagen Passat also lost their lives in the crash.

The media was given permission to observe and photograph the cortege as it arrived for Wednesday morning’s service.

13. Sad farewell

A police officer wears a black armband embroidered with the names of PC Blades and and his colleague, PC Tom Clough, who also died in the A66 collision. Photo: Owen Humphreys