Three more arrests have been made as part of a wider police operation against organised crime, following a head-on car crash that left two police officers and five young people dead.

Two of the arrested men, aged 19 and 24, were held after one vehicle rammed another in Derwentwater Road, between Grangetown and Eston near Middlesbrough, at about 23:00 BST on Sunday, Cleveland Police said.

An 18-year-old man arrested in connection with another suspected motoring offence in the town has now been charged with dangerous driving.

Cleveland Police said a total of 27 people have been arrested since the crash on the A66 on 22 August which killed the two officers and five youths.

The pair arrested following the Derwentwater Road car ramming are being questioned on suspicion of possession of a firearm with intent to cause fear of violence.

The 18-year-old, charged with driving dangerously in Middlesbrough on Saturday, appeared at Teesside Magistrates’ Court on Monday and was remanded in custody, police said.

Assistant Chief Constable Wayne Fox said the arrests “would not be the last” as Cleveland Police continued to target crime in the wake of the A66 crash.

PC Tom Clough, 38, and PC Matthew Blades, 37, died when a Volkswagen Passat, which other officers had been pursuing until seconds before, collided with their marked armed response car.

The five occupants of the Passat – all male and aged between 17 and 23 – also died at the scene.

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