Seven people, including two police officers, have been killed in a crash involving a car traveling the wrong way down a dual carriageway in the UK following a police pursuit.

Axar.az reports, citing BBC, that a Volkswagen Passat with five occupants said to be in their late teens struck an oncoming marked Cleveland Police vehicle on the A66 near Middlesbrough at about 03:39 BST.

The BBC understands a pursuit of the car had been called off before the crash, with the police vehicle just happening to be in the South Bank area. The occupants of both cars were pronounced dead at the scene.

The officers have been named as PC Matthew Blades, 37, and PC Tom Clough, 38. Chief Constable Victoria Fuller said they were "brave officers protecting our communities".

She said it was an "incredibly sad day for Cleveland", adding: "No one should leave their home and not return safely.