Event in Corby to discuss toxic contamination and public inquiries

The event, titled ‘Hidden Waste, Lasting Harm’, will be hosted by the London School of Economics (LSE), with their academics speaking alongside a lawyer from Leigh Day as well as local campaigners.

Leigh Day partner Emma Jones, who has extensive public inquiry experience having worked with the Infected Blood Inquiry and the Lampard Inquiry, will be speaking at the event, discussing routes campaigners can take in order to push for an inquiry. 

Other speakers at the event will include Roxana Willis, Diana Kirsch and Dr Marie Petersmann from LSE, as well as campaigners Reverend Paul Cawthorne, a citizen scientist supporting communities affected by toxic chemical dumping, and Nichola Scott, one of the mother’s impacted by the Corby pollution who fought for a decade to hold authorities to account. 

The event will take place at the Grampian social club on Patrick Road and will run from 6pm to 7.30pm. 

Pollution from toxic dust in Corby during the 1980s and 1990s during the dismantling of industrial steelworks sites was found to have been linked to a cluster of birth defects in children. 

In 2009, a High Court judge ruled that Corby Borough Council had been negligent in its control and management of the industrial sites. 

The issue was brought into the wider public eye in early 2025 by the television series Toxic Town, which documented the experiences of the people and families impacted by the pollution.  

Leigh Day partner Emma Jones said: 

“The toxic pollution of Corby was a terrible set of circumstances, which the High Court deemed to amount to negligence by the council. When incidents such as these where gross failings have affected a large number of people, a public inquiry can help push for more answers and tangible action. This meeting presents an opportunity to hear from the heart of the community in Corby, and from those who suffered most severely, and investigate what steps can be taken in calling for a public inquiry on the matter. 

“I know some worry an inquiry will attack Corby’s proud steel working heritage. It will not. An inquiry is time‑limited and fact‑focused; it seeks to protect the town’s future by learning from the past. It is not about blaming ordinary workers but about ensuring that homes, workplaces, and the local economy are safe for the next generation.”