UK wrong-way crash kills seven, 12 arrested

British police said Monday they had arrested 12 people after a car pursued by officers crashed while driving the wrong way on a major road in northeast England, killing five youths and two officers.

Cleveland Police said the deaths happened Saturday while officers were chasing two cars with cloned plates. The force said the 12 people arrested were suspected of participating in an organised crime group and weapon possession.

Police said there was "no evidence" that filming of the activities on Friday night and Saturday morning had taken place for TikTok.

The crash came as officials warned about young people carrying out dangerous driving stunts to post on social media. Prime Minister Andy Burnham said Monday that "anybody who glorifies dangerous driving is doing something that's truly reprehensible and unacceptable."

Downing Street said the government had raised the issue of dangerous-driving content with social media companies, including TikTok. TikTok said it strictly prohibits content that could cause significant physical harm, including dangerous driving, and proactively removes such content.

Britain's communications regulator Ofcom launched an investigation last month into whether TikTok is doing enough under UK law to protect children from harmful content, focusing on age checks. Ofcom said platforms must minimise children's exposure to violent material and content promoting dangerous challenges.

National Highways for England said there were 947 reports of wrong-way driving in the year ending May 2026, slightly down on the previous year.