Middlesbrough violence branded ‘terrorism’ by MP after 9 deaths and 19 arrests in 5 days

A horrific spree of violence has killed a total of nine people in less than a week in a UK town as a local MP has now dubbed the horror as ‘terrorism’

An MP has described the horror felt by residents as “terrorism” after chaos has erupted in Middlesbrough as locals fear a bloody turf war has broken out between rival gangs.

Around 200 extra cops have been drafted in to help the town’s beleagured police force after the wrong-way A66 collision which killed five men in a VW Passat and two police officers. Following the fatal crash, the town has erupted into violence as nine people have died in the town and another 19 have been arrested in less than a week.

Speaking to Times Radio Andy McDonald, the MP for Middlesbrough & Thornaby East, said : “People are going to their shops and not feeling safe and feeling trapped in their own homes.

“That is just unacceptable. This is terrorism and we’ve got to have an appropriate response to deal with the people who are causing such mayhem in our communities and to allow people to lead their peaceful lives.”

Yesterday a house in South Bank was attacked in a horrific car ramming in the early hours of the morning. Pictures have revealed the damage caused, with bricks and a metal fence strewn across the grass.

Police have stated “it has not yet been confirmed whether this incident is linked to wider organised crime”.

An anonymous neighbour has spoken of the car ramming frenzy. The witness stated: “There was a massive series of bangs. A Jeep-type car slammed into the front wall and kept going back and forwards over it until it was smashed down.

“It’s all part of the same stuff that’s been going down across South Bank and Grangetown for months. It’s scary and you wonder what’s going to happen next. We’ve already seen a little kid killed down the road. What has to happen before people stop all this?”

Another neighbour said: “My daughter saw it. She said a car kept going backwards and forwards into the wall over and over. People on the outside think it’s scary but it doesn’t bother me. I’ve grown up here and it’s normal. There’s always something going on here.”

The car ramming comes alongside the deaths of Natalie McDonald, 34, and her seven-year-old niece, Valentina Foster, who died in a house fire a few miles from the car attack.

Two people have been arrested on suspicion of murder after police were called to a house fire at 5:23am in the morning of Wednesday August 26, in the Grangetown area of Middlesbrough.

Cleveland Police have acknowledged that the deaths of Valentina and her aunt could be connected to “organised crime gangs”.

Four of the five members of the public who died in the A66 had criminal records and witnesses near the home of one, 17-year-old Cole Worthy, said he had “fallen out with a gang rival”

Worthy, along with Theo Rae, 17; Makai Saddington, 18; and 23-year-olds Michael Robert Cahill and Jacob Matusiak were in the Passat and were declared dead at the scene in South Bank.

Josh Kirton, the devastated brother of 34-year-old Natalie McDonald, has stated: “My sister was not involved with anything to do with gangs, or the (crash on the) A66. There’s some terrible people in the world and now my sister and Valentina have gone.”

Residents there claim the collision resulted from a “turf war” between competing criminal families.

Last night more gang violence erupted north of Middlesbrough as shocking footage showed cars being set on fire in a field as balloons were released at a memorial event in County Durham.

Video footage circulated online shows several cars ablaze in a field as balloons are released at a memorial service, believed to be for Michael Robert Cahill, 23, who died in the fatal collision.