Is Toxic Town based on a true story? New Netflix show starring Jodie Whittaker covers real-life Corby toxic waste scandal

The hard-hitting new mini-series tells the story of a group of parents form Corby who fought for justice for their children after they were born with birth defects. Former Doctor Who star Jodie Whittaker, Bridgerton actress Claudia Jessie, and Aimee-Lou Wood, who is currently starring in The White Lotus, are in the cast for the new series, which tells the harrowing story over four hour-long episodes.

The show is based on the real-life scandal from the Northamptonshire town, and promises to shine a light on what has been described by a former Corby mayor as the town’s “Watergate” moment, with others branding mothers’ subsequent court case as the “British Erin Brockovich”.

What is the true story behind Toxic Town?

The town of Corby, located in the East Midlands, drew thousands of Scottish workers to the area in the mid 20th century due to a huge steelworks plant, which was opened by Glasgow firm Stewarts & Lloyds. The plant hit the peak of its production in 1960 but tough economic times in the 1970s and 1980s led to the shutdown of the once-bustling plant in 1981.

Corby Borough Council opted to clear the site on which the plant was built to make way for more housing in the town. The redevelopment took place between 1985 and 1997, with 200 million tons of toxic waste transported through populated parts of the town to a quarry on the north side.

The trucks transporting the toxic waste were often open to the elements, with reports of sludge on the side of roads and dust in the air. It was estimated that around 200 daily journeys were made to move the huge toxic waste mound it to the quarry.

Reports of birth defects in children born in the area in the late 1980s and the 1990s began to rise. Mothers of the children affected reported that their children were missing fingers or toes, or were born with damaged limbs.

The families reported that the mother had all been pregnant while the waste was being transported through the town and that none of the families involved in the scandal had any previous family history of birth defects. Official statistics showed that for a town of its size - around 600,000 people - Corby’s birth defect rate was ten times higher than the average.

An investigation was launched by Northamptonshire Health Authority in 1999 after mothers campaign for answers, but officials concluded that the issue was no worse than any other town in England and Wales. Unsatisfied with this answer, eight families launched legal action against Corby Borough Council.

What happened during the Corby toxic waste case?

After a decade of campaigning and denials from the council that the works was unsafe and had caused the defect, the case finally made its way to the High Court in 2009. Throughout the case, David Wilby QC, who was representing the 18 affected families, argued that the transportation of the waste through the town had caused the defects, while Corby Borough Council denied any negligence or link between the works and the birth defects.

After a three-month trial, Mr Justice Akenhead ruled in favour of the families, ruling that there was a “statistically significant” rate of birth defects in the town around the time of the redevelopment and ruled that Corby Borough Council was negligent in its management of the toxic waste.

While the families celebrated the breakthrough in serving justice for their children, the council continued to oppose Mr Justice Akenhead’s ruling. Former council chief executive Chris Mallender said following the ruling: "We are obviously very disappointed and very surprised at the outcome of this trial.

“Our position has always been that there was no link between the reclamation work that was carried out in Corby in past decades and these children's birth defects. That is still our position."

In 2010, the council initially voted to appeal the decision but later agreed to settle out-of-court with the families and offered a full apology. Chris Mallender said: "The council recognises 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.

“Although I accept that money cannot properly compensate these young people for their disabilities and for all that they have suffered to date and their problems in the future, the council sincerely hopes that this apology coupled with today's agreement will mean that they can now put their legal battle behind them and proceed with their lives with a greater degree of financial certainty."