Residents of Corby, a town in Northamptonshire, remain at risk of exposure to toxic substances more than 15 years after a landmark court ruling held the former local authority responsible for contamination linked to a now-closed steelworks. Campaigners have raised concerns following laboratory tests that revealed elevated levels of hazardous metals—including lead, cadmium, and arsenic—in fruit and vegetables grown on local allotments.
The 2009 High Court ruling found the defunct Corby borough council liable for negligence and breach of statutory duty in its management of the Stewarts and Lloyds steel plant and its surrounding land during the 1980s and 1990s. The steelworks operated until its closure in 1980, leaving behind industrial sludge that has since contaminated soil across the area. Despite the ruling, large areas of this contaminated land remain unremediated, with homes, schools, and playgrounds built atop the affected sites.
The issue gained renewed international attention last year following the release of the drama series *Toxic Town*, which depicts the scandal and the birth defects—such as missing limbs and other serious conditions—that have afflicted dozens of children in Corby. Alison Gaffney and Andy Hinde, campaigners with the Corby Childhood Cancer group whose son developed leukaemia as a toddler, have independently funded tests of 32 food samples collected from four allotment sites. Three of the sites are owned by Corby town council; one is owned by Tata Steel, which leases the land to a local allotment society while maintaining involvement in its management.
Tests revealed lead concentrations exceeding the Food Standards Agency’s (FSA) recommended limit of 0.1 mg/kg for many fruit and vegetables. For example, plums taken from the Eskdale allotments contained 0.16 mg/kg of lead, while beetroot from Grendon allotments registered 0.12 mg/kg. Spinach samples from the Tata Steel allotment showed lead levels of up to 0.24 mg/kg, just below the 0.3 mg/kg threshold for leafy vegetables. The presence of cadmium and arsenic at hazardous levels was also detected. Recent scientific studies suggest that even lead levels within current national limits may pose significant health risks to children, especially when consumed regularly.
Des Collins, a lawyer representing families affected by deformities and childhood cancers, described the findings as “very worrying.” Food contamination expert Erik Millstone, a professor at the University of Sussex, urged caution, emphasizing that crops grown on heavily contaminated land should be avoided. Millstone’s research estimates that approximately 3,500 children under the age of seven may have suffered health consequences linked to industrial pollution in the area.
In response to the findings, William Colquhoun, a councillor responsible for community, environment, and planning in Corby, stated that the town council intends to carry out its own comprehensive food and soil testing across the region. Families involved in allotment gardening were recently informed of the test results. Corby town council has stressed its commitment to investigating concerns thoroughly but noted it has only recently taken responsibility for the allotments and is awaiting additional technical data from residents before drawing conclusions.
Data obtained through freedom of information requests revealed that in 2025, ten Corby residents under 25 received cancer diagnoses, a statistic campaigners fear signals a broader childhood cancer epidemic linked to the historic contamination. However, a report commissioned by North Northamptonshire council did not identify elevated childhood cancer rates and the authority has declined to initiate a public inquiry into the contamination issue. Martin Griffiths, leader of North Northamptonshire council representing Reform UK, expressed personal support for a government-led investigation into the effects of contaminated land.
North Northamptonshire council stated that any credible evidence of health or environmental risks would be thoroughly examined. Tata Steel declined to comment on the recent findings, citing insufficient information to assess the results at this time.