Families upset as toxic waste site data withheld

Alison Gaffney said it was "heart-breaking" hearing from families with similar experiences

Families say they are very disappointed after a council denied them information over the UK's most high-profile toxic waste scandal.

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

Dozens of families also suspect the industrial pollution is behind childhood cancers in the area and they asked North Northamptonshire Council to reveal where toxic waste was buried after clearing the steelworks.

A council spokesperson said: "We are committed to doing all we can to respond to concerns raised by our residents."

Alison Gaffney, whose son developed a rare form of blood cancer at 17 months old, said she felt "very disappointed" alongside "so many families".

She told BBC Newsnight that she had recognised a lot of families from the town while her son was undergoing treatment at the nearby Leicester General Hospital.

"The amount of families coming through was too much to ignore," she said.

Ms Gaffney's son recovered from the disease, but she says she went on to collect information about 130 childhood cancer cases dating back to 1988.

Families requested a list of sites from the council that were potentially contaminated.

In a letter seen by the BBC, the local authority said: "The council understands its obligation of transparency and the public's general interest in accountability and openness in relation to its processes but considers the weight of public interest (public good) falls in favour of non-disclosure."

Jodie Whittaker (left) and Aimee Lou Wood stared in Toxic Town, based on the Corby toxic waste scandal

A Netflix drama was released earlier this year depicting the real-life battle of families in Corby whose children were born with defects.

The steelworks was closed in 1980 and millions of tonnes of contaminated waste was taken to Deene Quarry on the outskirts of town.

The High Court was told heavy metal cadmium was identified at the former steelworks.

In 2009, Justice Akenhead ruled in favour of 18 Corby families and that Corby Borough Council was negligent in managing the waste.

The borough council was abolished in 2021 and, along with other authorities, replaced with North Northamptonshire Council.

The steelworks in Corby, pictured, closed in 1981

Ms Gaffney said families were seeing a "direct link" with cases in the late 1980s and 90s when children were exposed to the contaminated waste, alongside "a second wave" of children in the area with cancer.

"What we are trying to do is prevent future generations and people enduring the pain as parents that we have had to suffer."

The UK Health Security Agency says that recent research "suggested that exposure to cadmium in the general population may increase the risk of cancer of the endometrium, breast, testes, bladder, pancreas, and gall bladder".

Kat Taylor said she saw a Facebook post by Ms Gaffney while looking for people who had been affected by childhood cancer

Kat Taylor, who has never been interviewed about the scandal before, lost her son when he was five years old to a rare form of blood cancer.

"I met with Alison and a load of parents in Corby and thought there is something seriously wrong here - there are too many of us," she said.

"I would like answers and to know if this is what has caused me to lose my son."

Ms Gaffney said the council had been working with the NHS to get information about childhood cancer cases in the area.

"We are at this stage of checking and verifying the data with our partners to make sure it is accurate," said a council spokesperson.

"It is also important to note that although this analysis will help to highlight any areas of variation in rates of childhood cancer it will not identify the cause of any variation.

"The council acknowledges the devastating impact that childhood cancer has on children, their families and the local community."

Des Collins represented families in 2009

Solicitor Des Collins, who represented families in 2009, says he has been helping about 30 to 40 families wanting to know if there is a link between cancer and the waste.

"What is in the public interest is disclosure," he told BBC Newsnight.

Mr Collins said he suspected the council was "frightened what will come out" and were "standing independently and not thinking what is the best to do for residents".

"That is not an objective way of deciding what is in the public interest," he added.