A new Netflix drama is poised to unveil the relentless resolve of a group of parents who believe that a council clean-up of a steelworks site has adversely affected their children’s health. Toxic Town, which premieres on the streaming platform this Thursday, delves into an environmental scandal that struck at the core of an industrial town in England.
When several children were born within a few years with limb differences, their parents began to connect the dots, raising concerns about the possible implications of the clean-up efforts. However, it would take a grueling decade-long legal battle before they could achieve any semblance of justice.
Jodie Whittaker takes on the role of one of the parents, Susan McIntyre, in the Netflix drama Toxic Town.
Where is Toxic Town set?
Toxic Town is set in the former steel town of Corby, located in Northamptonshire. The town transformed from a small village into a significant urban area during the 1930s, following the establishment of the steel firm Stewarts & Lloyds. This company was eventually absorbed by the British Steel Corporation in 1967, and by the 1970s, the strategy was to centralize steel operations in regions such as South Wales, Sheffield, Scunthorpe, Teesside, and Scotland.
By that time, Corby had evolved into one of the largest steelmaking operations in Western Europe, spanning 680 acres (2.8 million square meters) and featuring four blast furnaces along with two coke oven complexes and other associated facilities. However, in 1979, the government announced the closure of Corby Steelworks, leading to the loss of over 5,000 jobs by the end of 1981. Further cuts brought the total job loss to 11,000, resulting in an unemployment rate exceeding 30 percent in the town. Between 1984 and 1999, Corby Borough Council undertook a significant demolition, excavation, and redevelopment project on the site, as part of a broader urban regeneration initiative for the area.
What was the Corby poisoning scandal?
Over a span of 15 years, from 1984 to 1999, various buildings were demolished, and the site was reclaimed in segments, necessitating the removal of waste, steel dust, and slag to Deene Quarry. This operation involved transporting the hazardous waste through populated areas, with as many as 200 vehicle movements occurring daily. The toxic materials were transported in open lorries, which often leaked sludge onto the roads and released significant amounts of dust into the atmosphere.
During the same period, the incidence of babies born with limb differences in the Corby area was found to be nearly three times higher than that of children born in adjacent regions. A number of children were born with various hand and foot anomalies, including missing fingers and webbed fingers. Parents of these children began to suspect that these limb differences were not mere coincidence but rather consequences of the clean-up of the former steelworks.
Who were the parents who took action?
A group of families affected by these limb differences decided to take legal action and enlisted solicitor Des Collins to represent them. The children became the claimants in the case, asserting that the toxins released during Corby Borough Council’s reclamation work on contaminated land at the old steelworks had interfered with their fetal development, leading to the observed limb differences. They alleged that their mothers had ingested or inhaled the toxic substances dispersed during the removal of materials from the steelworks site to the quarry.
All of the children were conceived during the reclamation process. Twelve mothers lived within a two-mile radius of the contaminated area, four resided in nearby towns, and two lived outside the county but frequently visited Corby during the first trimester of their pregnancies. Among them were:
- Mandy Wright, whose son Curtis was born in 1996
- Susan McIntyre (portrayed by Jodie Whittaker), whose son Connor was born in 1996
- Joy Shatford, whose son Daniel was born in 1996
- Anita Nathwani, whose daughter Kerri was born in 1997
- Maggie Mahon (played by Claudia Jessie), whose son Sam was born in 1997
Tracey Taylor also gave birth to a daughter, Shelby Anne, in 1996, who tragically passed away four days later. Although Ms. Taylor was not part of the legal case due to the belief that her daughter’s condition was different from those of the other children, she was involved in the original campaign and is depicted in Toxic Town by Aimee Lou Wood.
What was the result of the court case?
It took a full decade for the case to finally reach the High Court in 2009, by which point 19 children were involved in the legal action. Prosecutor David Wilby QC informed the court that the residents of Corby had been living in an “atmospheric soup of toxic materials.” Louise Parker, a Professor of Paediatrics and Community Health and Epidemiology at Dalhousie University in Canada, testified that from 1989 to 1998, children in Corby were 2.5 times more likely to be born with upper limb defects compared to the rest of the Kettering Health Authority area, a statistic deemed “quite significant.” Additionally, former council worker and whistleblower Sam Hagen (played by Robert Carlyle) provided evidence that the toxic waste had not been managed safely by council contractors.
An internal report from the council was uncovered, which raised alarms about the potential exposure of residents to high levels of zinc, arsenic, boron, and nickel due to the reclamation activities. Another report from the council’s auditor indicated a “cavalier approach” to the clean-up operation. The council, however, denied allegations of negligence or any connection between the waste removal and the limb differences observed in children.
On July 29, 2009, the Honorable Justice Akenhead delivered a verdict stating that Corby Borough Council was “extensively negligent in its control and management of the sites acquired from British Steel.” He noted, “That negligence, and from April 1, 1992, breach of statutory duty on the part of CBC permitted and led to the extensive dispersal of contaminated mud and dust over public areas of Corby and into and over private homes, with the result that the contaminants could realistically have caused the types of birth defects of which complaint has been made by the claimants.” This ruling opened the door for the families to pursue individual claims against the council.
Despite the council’s previous denials, they ultimately decided to pursue a legal appeal while simultaneously mediating with the families. In April 2010, the council announced it would withdraw its appeal and had reached a financial settlement with 19 families. Mr. Mallender, the chief executive of the local authority at the time, expressed, “The council acknowledges that it made mistakes in its clean-up of the former British Steel site years ago and extends its deepest sympathy to the children and their families. While I understand that no amount of money can adequately compensate these young individuals for their disabilities and the suffering they have endured, we sincerely hope that this apology, combined with today’s agreement, will allow them to move past their legal battle and proceed with their lives with greater financial stability.” The specific financial terms of the settlement, however, remained confidential.
