Full Breakdown
Council Leader Backs Call for Public Inquiry into Corby Contamination
By Drooid · · How we work
Core Event
North Northamptonshire Council leader Martin Griffiths announced that his authority will fully cooperate with a publicly funded inquiry into historic soil and water contamination surrounding the former Corby steelworks. The call follows a recent Earthwatch Europe report that identified potentially harmful levels of metal or metalloid at 52 freshwater sites across Corby. Griffiths said the council “has nothing to hide” and would welcome an independent examination of the legacy pollution.
Background & Context
The contamination concerns stem from demolition of the steelworks in the 1980s and subsequent waste burial at sites such as Deene Quarry, now covered by a demolished speedway. A 2009 High Court judgment found negligence by the then-Labour-controlled Corby Borough Council, awarding compensation to parents of children born with birth defects linked to the site. Since the Netflix drama *Toxic Town* aired last year, several dozen families have questioned whether cancers and rare conditions in the area are connected to the historic waste. Earthwatch’s citizen-science testing, conducted with assistance from MP Lee Barron and his team, highlighted the same hotspots. Barron has written to Health Secretary Yvette Cooper urging immediate action and a clean-up plan.
Official Statements & Responses
He suggested that a statutory inquiry under the Inquiries Act 2005, funded by central government, would have powers to compel evidence unavailable to a locally commissioned review.
Lee Barron described the council’s request for an inquiry as “baffling” and insisted that the council must publish a plan to investigate and remediate any contaminated land. He stressed that “people deserve answers” and that the council’s role is to provide them.