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Youngsters were seen racing scooters and quadbikes around in 'tribute' while locals mourned the slain officers at a church

Hordes of balaclava-clad youths lit flares and set off balloons in a "vigil" for the dead A66 "joyriders" - just as mourners silently prayed for the two PCs killed in the same crash.

Seven people died in the collision after a Volkswagen Passat drove the wrong way down the busy A-road near Middlesbrough.

PC Matthew Blades, 38 and PC Tom Clough, 37, were killed in the head-on collision.

On Monday, around 200 people descended on a field in South Bank, near Middlesborough, to pay tribute to deceased rider Jakub Matusiak, 23.

The vigil saw masked youths race around the field on scooters and quad-bikes while other attendees lit orange flares, fireworks and released balloons.

Videos of the event - held shortly after 5pm just a stone's throw from where the deadly collision took place - showed an array of vehicles revving their engines and honking their horns as orange flares and balloons filled the sky.

Makai Saddington, 18, Theo Rae and Cole Worthy, both 17, and Michael Cahill, 23, were also killed alongside Matusiak in the crash.

The five deceased had 37 previous convictions between them, with only Mr Cahill not having a criminal record.

One woman in her 20s, who attended the vigil, insisted Matusiak was a "lovely, caring lad" and "not some scumbag who should just be written off and forgotten".

She told the Mail: “It was an accident that those police officers died, they weren’t trying to kill anyone and they lost their own lives but they’ve just been written off as if they don’t matter.

“The number of people who have come out for Jakub today should show you that they do matter, they were loved and they will be missed.”

Officers from Cleveland Police were present at the gathering, but maintained a low-profile presence.

HORROR ON THE A66 - READ MORE:

Just down the road, locals packed into St John The Evangelist Church for a silent vigil paying tribute to the two PCs.

Among those in attendance was Anna Turley, the Labour MP for Redcar, who said: "The whole community here is reeling, and we've lost lives, particularly those lives of brave police officers who are out in action to keep us safe. It's a tragic incident."

Back on the field, one 58-year-old grandmother, who watched on as the youths wreaked havoc, looked at the police officers in attendance and told the Mail: "What must they be thinking right now?

"This is nothing but a mockery of the lives of those two policemen.

"I've watched them walking down there drinking and smoking weed and razzing about on their motorbikes. There's nothing here to celebrate."

Twelve people have been arrested as part of a Cleveland Police probe into alleged criminality which took place prior to the fatal crash.

Nine men and three women, aged between 19 and 61, have been arrested on suspicion of several offences.

Throughout the weekend, Cleveland Police, supported by officers and staff from Durham, Northumbria and North Yorkshire Police, worked to establish the circumstances leading to the fatal crash.

The charges that the 12 people could face range from possession of a firearm to participating in the activities of an organised crime group.