People deserve to feel safe says council boss after nine killed in crash and fire

People living in a town where nine people have been killed in a crash and fire in the past week deserve to "feel safe in their own homes", a council leader has said.

Redcar and Cleveland Borough Council leader Alec Brown's comments come after seven people, including two police officers, died in a car crash at South Bank, near Middlesbrough, on Saturday and a 34-year-old woman and seven-year-old girl died in a house fire in Grangetown on Wednesday.

Brown told Radio 4's Today programme he had called an "urgent meeting" on Friday among councillors, police and social housing providers.

Prime Minister Andy Burnham said any support local police officers and authorities required would be provided.

He said the Grangetown fire was "utterly devastating" and "terribly tragic".

"What we can say at this point in time is that all of the support will be provided to get to the heart of what has happened here," he said.

Police have made several arrests in connection with the recent deaths.

Teesside MPs also called for the government to provide more long-term support for police and firefighters in the area.

Brown said he understood people from parts of Middlesbrough and Redcar might feel "left behind".

"You live around people that may be suffering poverty or other social issues, it can be that uniform sort of consciousness that 'we're left behind'.

"But I can assure the people of Grangetown and South Bank – they're as important to me as a people from any other state in the borough and we're working tirelessly to ensure that they do feel safe in their own houses."

Labour MPs Anna Turley, Luke Myer, Andy McDonald, Jonathan Brash and Chris McDonald said in a joint statement their communities deserved to "feel safe".

They said they welcomed the help of other police forces during the past week but called for more long-term support and local residents had expressed "safety concerns" for "far too long".

Myer said current national funding formulas for the police and fire service did not take into account the "seriousness" of the crime people in Teesside faced.