As the hearse carrying PC Matt Blades, bearing the word ‘Dad’, made its way down Hutton Avenue in his hometown of Hartlepool today, the dignified silence was almost unnerving.
For minutes at a time, the only sounds audible above respectful whispers were the buzz of a drone filming this ceremonial funeral and the clip-clop of hooves from the four horses that led the procession.
Given the chaos which has gripped this part of north-east England in the weeks since PC Blades, 37, and his colleague at Cleveland Police, PC Tom Clough, 38, were killed in a head-on smash on the A66 in
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