Is Toxic Town a true story? The Corby poisonings that inspired the Netflix drama

Netflix four-part drama series Toxic Town, takes inspiration from one of the UK’s biggest environmental scandals - the Corby poisonings. The show tells the story of the women at the heart of the poisonings, particularly the mothers of children born with limb differences who took on a monumental battle for justice.

With a stellar cast including Jodie Whittaker, Aimee-Lou Wood and Claudia Jessie, the series takes viewers through the years the families fight took, as a terrible truth begins to unfold. Recently, Netflix viewers were interested in the Apple Cider Vinegar true story and what happened to antagonist Belle Gibson in the aftermath of the show's events - now, we take a look at the real story of the Corby poisonings, and the extraordinary real women behind the characters seen on screen.

The Corby poisonings: What happened?

Corby, in Northhamptonshire, established itself as a steel town during the 1930s thanks to steel firm Stewarts & Lloyds setting themselves up in the area. Corby went from being a small and fairly rural town to one of Western Europe's largest steelmaking operations throughout the 60s and 70s.

However, In 1979, the closure of Corby Steelworks was announced, and by the early 80s unemployment rates in the town were high, due to the number of residents relying on the steelworks for employment.

Between 1984 and 1999, large scale demolition of former steelworks buildings took place alongside extensive excavation of the site, as the local council wanted the area redeveloped for modern life, or to "build a new town for the people of Corby," as one of the men behind the regeneration is seen saying in the series trailer.

Toxic Town | Official Trailer | Netflix - YouTube

Watch On

As the land was excavated, waste and slag was moved from the site through residential areas of the town, to be deposited in Deene Quarry. Involving hundreds of trips each day, the open lorries carrying the waste released dust particles into the air and contents were spilled onto roads.

During this time, the rates of children in the area born with limb difference grew - those affected had differences to their hands and feet, either with parts missing or deformed.

Parents noticed the rise in limb differences, which was found to be three times higher than the surrounding areas, and began attributing it to the redevelopment of the steelworks site.

Families came together and decided to take legal action, with solicitor Des Collins representing them. It was alleged in the case that while waste was being transported from the steelworks site, expectant mothers inhaled the toxic particles spilling from the open lorries which affected their unborn babies.

There were 19 children involved in the case, which took a decade to reach the high court in 2009. Doctors testified that between 1989 and 1998 children in born in Corby were 2.5 times more likely to have been born with limb differences, and a council worker gave evidence that toxic waste wasn't safely handled when moved from the steelworks site.

The council denied it had been negligent in handling toxic waste, but on July 29, 2009, the Honorable Justice Akenhead returned a verdict that Corby Borough Council had indeed been negligent, paving the way for families affected by the toxicity to individually pursue claims against the council.

The council appealed the verdict and wanted to mediate with families who claimed. However, in April 2010 the appeal was dropped and a settlement agreed with all families involved in the case and a public apology was issued.

It has never been revealed how much the council settled for, and the amount each family received in terms of compensation.

The real mothers involved in the Corby poisonings case

All of the children born with limb differences were born while the Corby steelworks site was being excavated, either living directly within the contamination area, neighbouring towns, or were found to have regularly visited Corby during early pregnancy.

According to inews, the mothers include Susan McIntyre who is portrayed by Jodie Whittaker in the series, whose son Connor was born in 1996. Maggie Mahon is played by Claudia Jessie, and her son Sam was born in 1997. There's also Joy Shatford, whose son Daniel was born in 1996, Anita Nathwani, whose daughter Kerri was born in 1997, and Mandy Wright, whose son Curtis was born in 1996.

A lady named Tracey Taylor is played by Aimee-Lou Wood, and she gave birth to a girl named Shelby Anne in 1996, who sadly passed away four days later. However, Tracey wasn't part of the legal case because her daughter's condition was eventually considered different that of the other children, but she was part of the original campaign.

Speaking to the BBC, Tracey said, "I don't think the people of Corby realise just how much they have been affected by this. Hopefully they will now, and hopefully they'll see why us mothers had to stand strong and do it."