Following the closure of the steelworks in the early 1980s, Corby Council was under enormous pressure to regenerate the town and create new employment and housing. In their eagerness to rebuild Corby and restore its pride, the council approved ambitious redevelopment plans, including the controversial “Corby Wonderworlds” project. While this determination to transform the town was understandable, it led to serious errors in how the heavily contaminated former steelworks site was reclaimed.
Between 1985 and 1997, toxic waste containing heavy metals, including thallium, was moved across the town in open lorries, spreading microscopic particles through the air. This was the first case in the world to successfully prove a link between airborne toxic waste and birth defects.
In 2009, the High Court ruled that Corby Borough Council had been “extensively negligent” in its handling of the toxic material. The court found that the council’s methods had exposed pregnant mothers and their unborn children to dangerous pollutants. Although the council strongly denied that airborne contamination was responsible, they eventually paid out approximately £14–15 million in compensation to the affected families.
While credit must be given to the council’s determination to regenerate Corby after the devastating loss of the steel industry, the court’s judgment made clear that this ambition came at a terrible human cost. Mistakes were made, and it was the children of Corby who ultimately paid the price for those mistakes.
