Annette Belcher

The UK Government has urged TikTok and other social media platforms to remove videos celebrating dangerous wrong-way driving, warning that it may use Online Safety Act powers if companies do not act. The call follows the deaths of Cleveland Police officers Matthew Blades and Tom Clough and five young men when a Volkswagen Passat entered the A66 against traffic near Middlesbrough. TikTok said dangerous-driving content violates its rules and that it is removing breaches, while Ofcom highlighted platforms’ legal duties. Police and officials urged the public to avoid speculation as investigations into the pursuit and crash continue; a fundraiser for the officers’ families had raised more than £250,000.