Seven people including two police officers died in a ​car crash in northeast England on Saturday ‌after a vehicle heading the wrong way down a major road hit a marked police car, the local police force ​said.

Cleveland Police said the incident occurred around ​3:39am (0239 GMT) near the South Bank area ⁠east of Middlesbrough and that all occupants of ​the two vehicles died at the scene.

"This tragic incident ​will be felt across Cleveland, within our communities and throughout the entire policing family," Cleveland Police Chief Constable Victoria Fuller ​said.

The police force said it was still investigating ​the circumstances of the crash and was working to formally identify ‌all ⁠the people killed.

The incident will be reviewed by Britain's Independent Office for Police Conduct, as is common practice in such cases.

Following two recent head-on crashes near ​Dublin, one ​of which ⁠killed five people, Ireland's police chief this week warned that some young people were ​driving the wrong way on the motorway "for ​social ⁠media likes".

An Irish parliament committee has asked short-form video platform TikTok to explain how it removes content "that appears ⁠to ​glorify dangerous and illegal behaviour on ​our roads". On Tuesday, Ireland's media regulator made a similar request.