Nearly 20 years on from the original Corby toxic waste scandal, more than 100 additional people have come forward with concerns that they too have suffered birth defects, as revealed by a 15-month investigation by ITV News Reporter Amy Lewis
When a landmark High Court case ruled negligence had caused birth defects in 18 children, we thought we knew the full horror of Corby’s toxic fallout.
But now more than 100 people have come forward, believing they were also affected by the scandal.
In 2009, Corby Borough Council was found to have negligently moved toxic waste from the Northamptonshire town’s main former steelworks.
However, over the course of a 15-month ITV News investigation, 105 people affected by birth defects who were not involved in the original case have shared their concerns about the impact the waste has had on their health.
Tracey Taylor’s daughter, Shelby-Anne, died when she was four days old in 1996 from heart, lung, kidney and ear defects.
Tracey worked alongside the reclamation six days a week when she was pregnant. She has been collecting and collating questionnaires from families with babies born with defects or babies who didn’t survive because of organ defects, which she describes as ‘angel babies’.
It is part of her campaign for a public inquiry.
She told ITV News: “It is heartbreaking to see that there are so many. I always knew that there were more families affected than those in the original case, but to actually be at 105 with limb differences and angel babies, it’s heartbreaking.”
Twenty-four of the families who have filled in questionnaires have hand defects – more than the total number involved in the original court case.
Issy Wright, 25, began questioning if she was missing a finger and thumb on both her hands because of Corby’s contaminated waste when she watched Toxic Town last year, a Netflix drama series about Corby’s toxic past.
Issy told ITV News: “I have three fingers on each hand, and my arms don’t straighten properly. They’re also slightly shorter than they should be. I’ve got a curvature in my spine and a small heart murmur as well. I’ve grown up very physically different to other people.”
She adds, “It’s affected me a lot mentally and physically and yes, continues to, it never goes away.”
Her mother, Pippa, grew up around Corby during the reclamation of the steelworks. She told ITV News that she didn’t know about her daughter’s conditions until she was born, adding: “The general questions were, did you live near toxic waste or were you related to her father.
“The answer to both of those was no… The toxic waste just seems to be the plausible explanation really because we don’t have any history of this in the family. We’ve had so much genetic testing through the NHS that just hasn’t ever come up with any conclusion of what caused it.”
The council has only ever admitted dumping the waste at Deene Quarry, a former landfill site on the outskirts of the town. It was later developed into Rockingham Speedway, which shut in 2018. Families are concerned that the historical waste is still causing problems to this day.
ITV News can reveal that 19 incidents related to contaminated water and unidentified pollution around Deene Quarry have been reported to the Environment Agency in the last decade.
One incident report from 2024 obtained by ITV News under the Freedom of Information Act states, “There were also patches of a thick red material clinging to the sides of the watercourse in a number of discrete patches.”
Another reported noticeable water discolouration “with rust red scum”. Families repeatedly reported seeing red dust during the reclamation during the original High Court case.
The documents also show that ‘reputational issues’ such as ‘public, political and media interest’ were the reason for attending one of the incidents. The report states: “As you are aware there is continued public awareness and interest surrounding pollutants to the Gretton brook and wider area.”
Also, contaminated waste from the former steelworks could be leaking from the ground, according to details from a meeting between Gretton Parish Council and the Environment Agency.
A document from the January 2025 meeting states: “Water from the open landfill underneath Rockingham Speedway is pooling by the side of the Gretton Brook Road… Historically when Anglian Water went to assess the sites at Rockingham Speedway, attenuation ponds were assessed and cleared.
“This suggests that groundwater levels have risen and are pushing up the historic contamination in the ground and it is leaking onto the road.”
We showed Professor Mark Hodson, a contaminated soil expert, our findings. He told ITV News: “Certainly, in the past, the legislation around landfills was a lot less developed than it is now… What I haven’t read in the reports is any suggestion that the cells where the contaminated waste has been buried are the ones that have been leaking.”
He adds: “However, if I were living in that area I think I would like to see more tests being done just to reassure myself that there wasn’t any further risk of harm occurring.”
North Northamptonshire Council, which was created after Corby Borough Council was abolished, has declined our request to be interviewed.
However, it told ITV News in a written statement that “North Northamptonshire Council recognises the understandable strength of feeling amongst the residents of Corby in relation to the historic and emotive issue of contaminated land and takes environmental concerns extremely seriously.”
It adds: “Investigations carried out by the Environment Agency and independent consultants identified that water entering Gretton Brook is associated with a corroded pipe acting as a pathway for surface water or groundwater, rather than confirming that a landfill site is leaking.
“Water quality monitoring undertaken in February 2025 identified elevated pH levels at the point where water enters the brook, which is consistent with alkaline water sometimes associated with historic industrial land or construction materials.
“The monitoring results did not identify heavy metal concentrations above relevant environmental standards. This is consistent with annual monitoring of the Deene Quarry site carried out by the Council through an independent Consultant and overseen by the Environment Agency.”
The council also states: “If credible evidence emerges indicating a risk to human health or the environment, the Council and relevant regulators would review the information and determine whether further investigation or action is required.”
In January, a report by Earthwatch Europe found rivers around Corby are polluted with metals that could pose a risk to aquatic life.
The environmental charity and volunteers tested rivers around the town and detected at least one metal or metalloid at a concentration above the level which adversely affects aquatic ecosystems at each of the 59 sites they visited.
An Environment Agency spokesperson said: “We recognise the concerns raised and understand how important it is for residents to feel confident in the quality of their local environment.
“Our initial review of the data in the Corby Metals Testing Report study does not indicate any significant impact on the freshwater environment but we will continue to carry out monitoring in the area and work closely with North Northamptonshire Council.”
In total, more than 180 people concerned about their health have filled in questionnaires as part of Tracey Taylor’s campaign.
She is being represented by Des Collins, the lawyer who represented the original 18 families at the High Court trial.
Decades after Corby’s main steelworks were decommissioned and demolished, many families believe the land still holds secrets that are slowly starting to seep out.
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