Corby MP pushing for further testing as community calls for action after metals found in town streams

A new report from environmental charity Earthwatch Europe, produced in partnership with 35 community citizen scientists, identified two hotspots after tests at 59 freshwater sites across Corby in November 2025 showing pollutants at levels that could pose a risk to aquatic life.

A meeting organised by MP for Corby and East Northants Lee Barron was attended by campaigners including parents who believe there is an ongoing risk to the public posed by the botched clean-up of the steelworks and existing ground contamination.

Dr Sasha Woods, director of science and impact at Earthwatch Europe, said: “By working with the community in Corby, we’ve been able to gather a detailed snapshot of freshwater metal pollution across the town. The findings indicate that some metals are present at levels that could pose a risk to aquatic life, particularly in areas close to known historic waste sites.

“This study complements what we already know about metals pollution in Corby and highlights where further investigation may be needed. We’re very grateful to the community in Corby for their support in producing this report and we’re proud to be able to support important citizen-science projects like this.

“It’s a single snapshot of metal pollution across Corby, that there maybe cadmium and sources of metals in Weldon and Gretton [Deene Quarry].

“Further tests are required – I would very much like this to be able to do this in the summer.”

Currently there is no funding in place for further such testing, but community leaders have reacted to the report.

Des Collins, senior partner of Collins Solicitors

Mr Collins acted for local families on the original legal challenge to Corby Borough Council over alleged negligent decommissioning of the Corby steelworks and who is now advising further families on their ongoing health concerns arising from the same

He said: “I am not surprised by these findings. While Earthwatch can only vouch for the risks to aquatic life from the levels of metals they detected in the water around Corby, the obvious question remains over the risk to human health. Drinking water will be treated before consumption, but what about the soil, land, air and environment – how else might the above-normal presence of these metals manifest itself and be impacting the local community even now after 40-odd years?

“Clearly further investigation is required to allay, or confirm, residents' concerns that will have been heightened by this study. We say only a full public inquiry will suffice.

“We also continue to call upon North Northamptonshire Council to fully disclose the whereabouts of all the toxic waste resulting from the decommissioning of the steelworks. Finally, we are still waiting for the long-promised data on cancer rates in Corby from the Council. This stonewalling must stop.”

MP for Corby and East Northants Lee Barron

Mr Barron said: “I think what the campaigners are looking for are the next steps. They’ve seen some initial results and there’s talk of doing some more testing in summer when the weather conditions are different and that’s what people want to see.

“We’re happy to support that. At the end of the day if there are issues, then those issues need to be addressed. The only way we are going to find out is by factually looking at what’s going on, that is what this has started to do but it’s being driven by the community and I think it’s exceptional.

“I think it should be funded appropriately, whether that’s government centrally or locally. With everything that’s gone on – the answers the people are looking for, the questions they currently have got – I think we are duty-bound to make sure this is done and that’s what I’ll be pushing for.”

Asked if the people of Corby should put their own hands into their pockets to fund more testing, Mr Barron said: “To be honest, Netflix waltzed into town – well, they filmed it somewhere else – and they made a packet out of the people of Corby and what they had been through. And there are a number of others who should contribute to give the community the answers they are looking for – and that’s what I’ll be fighting for.”

Parents of children involved in the original court case gave their reaction.

Corby resident Lisa Atkinson attended the results reveal. Her daughter Simone was born with three fingers on each hand. Her experience resulted in her being part of the original ‘Toxic Town’ court case in 2009.

Saying the findings were ‘very interesting’, Ms Atkinson said: “However, they are pretty pointless unless we do something with it. We need to take results, we need to run with them. We need the council to take the results and pressure people into finding out.

“Let’s get this to the forefront, let’s get moving with it and take it from there. I will actively be encouraging and speaking to our MP – it was lovely that he was here today – to get this action group going and see what we can do to ‘settle’ the people of Corby.

“Any metals of any shape or form on any level, or just ‘below’ or above it are not acceptable.

“My daughter was born in 1989. We fought the case we won the case we proved our point it was the metals in the air. Now I’m doing it again. I’m 58 and I’m back where I started – I’m still fighting the fight and no-one is listening. This is not going to stop. I said in 2019 ‘this isn’t the end, it’s going to happen again’ – and it’s happening again it will keep on happening and we need to do something about it.

“I love my town. I was born in Corby. What I see happening is people are going to stop coming to the town. Not just people who buy houses here, but industry may think they don’t want to move to a ‘toxic town’. Corby had a reputation of being a ghost town – we’re going to be a ghost town again. We can’t fix things overnight but we can be actively trying repair to some of the damage.

Ms Atkinson added her message to the authorities: “Step in. Stop ignoring the little people. We’ve got a problem here and we need help to fix it and until you help us until the councils and those higher above, we’re not going to be quiet – we’re going to keep going.”

Campaigner Tracey Taylor

Tracey Taylor has been campaigning for decades after her daughter Shelby Ann, died when she was just four days old. Her story featured in the Netflix series Toxic Town. She has been collating evidence of birth defects and baby deaths by sending out questionnaires. She welcomed the results and vowed to campaign for funding for further environmental tests.

Questionnaires received back by Tracey asking about multiple health issues she says show a correlation with the hotspots from the Earth Watch findings.

She said: “It’s good that it’s shown something, what we have been saying for years needs to be investigated more.

“It’s correlating. I’ve sent out about 160 questionnaires, and I’ve got over 108 back and there is a main hot spot within Weldon, with people affected with health conditions, and also around the Gretton Brook Road Industrial Estate. They are two of the main areas. It’s people who live in these areas and people who work in these areas.

“The evidence helps because hopefully people will listen. We are doing this for the Corby people. It’s 30 years from the original court case and we are still seeing children being born with limb differences or ‘angel’ babies. It needs to stop.”

Tracey would like funding for a new study and has called on the council to work with campaigners.

She said: “I think the council should now start to work with us, along with government. They should be taking us seriously but at the end of the day, if we have to crowdfund we will.

“There’s too much pain being caused to children and adults. We will not stop.”

The Environment Agency

A spokesman for the Environment Agency said: “We welcome the initiative and work that has been carried out by Earthwatch Europe. Citizen science is a valuable contribution to the evidence base on water and helps to identify and prioritise action.

“We will study the findings of the final report so we can support and advise North Northamptonshire Council and Earthwatch Europe on their next steps.”

The spokesman added: “In the last 12 months we carried out pollution prevention day of action, visiting 36 of the highest risk businesses around Gretton Brook Road. We provided advice on pollution prevention, including chemical storage disposal of wash waters, drainage plans and waste disposal. However, we did not identify any pollution source from these sites.

“The permit [for Deene Quarry] is currently held by North Northamptonshire Council and the Environment Agency regulates this. Monitoring is currently conducted annually and a report is produced.”