Inside Out East - Corby: The Toxic Town

David Whiteley investigates why the clean up of Corby led to birth defects in the town. When the steelworks in Corby were closed, the site was redeveloped. To clear the site, hundreds of lorry loads of toxic waste were driven through Corby. Soon afterwards, there was an unexplained cluster of birth defects to the children of mothers living in the town. The courts have already decided that mistakes were made in the clean up operation allowing contaminated dust to spread over private homes in Corby, linking the defects to the dust. But after more than 18 years, the families have received no compensation. Working with them is Des Collins, a solicitor who once worked at the steelworks. For ten years he has fought for reparation for the families. His fight has parallels with American campaigner Erin Brockovich. Brockovich discovered that a power company had been poisoning the water in the small town of Hinkley in California, affecting the health of the town's population. As a result, the company paid more than $300 million in damages to more than 600 Hinkley residents. Now she gives her support to Des Collins and the residents of Corby. The fight for compensation could finally be over as the two sides meet to try to agree a settlement through mediation. If the residents succeed, it could change their lives by enabling them to pay for the extra help they need. But it could also leave the rest of the Corby's residents with a massive bill as the money will be paid out of the council tax. The result of this case could affect other developments on old industrial property just as many more cases appeared after Erin Brockovich won her campaign, she believes this is just the start of investigations into contaminated sites in the UK.