No major toxic impact on waterways, says watchdog

Fresh water in Corby does not appear to have been significantly affected by the town's major toxic waste scandal, the Environment Agency has said.

Children in the town have been born with birth defects, believed to have been caused when local steelworks were demolished and dismantled in the 1980s.

Campaigners fear the industrial pollution is also linked to childhood cancers and volunteers for Earthwatch Europe recently took samples from freshwater sites.

The charity said it found a high presence of metals in the samples, but the Environment Agency (EA) said there was no "significant impact".

The EA reviewed Earthwatch Europe's findings and said the "initial data" did not indicate a major impact on freshwater ecology.

"[We] understand how important it is for residents to feel confident in the quality of their local environment," a spokesperson said.

"We welcome the initiative and work undertaken by Earthwatch Europe.

"Citizen science plays an important role in building an evidence base for the water environment and can help identify and prioritise areas for action."

The EA said it would continue its usual "statutory monitoring" of the area, but was not planning extra monitoring as a result of the findings.

Campaigners have called for North Northamptonshire Council to reveal a list of sites where toxic waste was buried.

This week, Corby Town Council voted to support campaigners and to ask North Northamptonshire Council to pay for more tests.

William Colquhoun, chairman of the town council's environment committee, said: "Our focus is on ensuring residents have clear information and that responsible authorities fulfil their duties."

A spokesperson for North Northamptonshire Council said the authority "takes environmental concerns extremely seriously".

"From the council's perspective, there is currently no evidence of a pollutant linkage or unacceptable risk to human health requiring action under its statutory duties," they added.

"We will, however, continue to monitor the situation very closely, keep talking with partners, and ensure residents are kept informed if further information becomes available."

In 1980, millions of tonnes of contaminated waste was moved to Deene Quarry on the outskirts of Corby.

Solicitor Des Collins represented 18 families - all affected by birth defects - at the High Court in 2009.

Justice Akenhead was told heavy metal cadmium was identified at the former steelworks, and ruled that Corby Borough Council was negligent in managing the waste.

The borough council was abolished in 2021 and its responsibilities were transferred to the newly-formed North Northamptonshire Council.

Collins said: "It [the council] was responsible for ensuring the steelworks' toxic waste was properly disposed of 30 years ago; that is the cause of all this concern and it cannot outrun that responsibility.

"Nor can the council 'monitor' the impact of pollutants in the water if it does not commission its own testing.

"Rather than denigrating the community's efforts to test for the existence of heavy metals in the water, the council itself must act, given the havoc that has been caused to the local community's health over the years.

"We have repeatedly asked the council to confirm exactly where they dumped the steelworks' waste and we are constantly stonewalled.

"There can be no better case for a public inquiry."

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