ITV News has obtained documents that suggest that thousands of tonnes of toxic waste from Corby’s former steelworks was dumped under roads, parks, playing fields and in open spaces.
The council has only ever admitted putting the waste from the reclamation at Deene Quarry, but the documents back up what a whistleblower previously told us – that the dumping was widespread.
In 2009, a High Court judge ruled that the council had negligently moved contaminated waste around the Northamptonshire town, causing birth defects in 18 children.
However, families are still concerned about where it was dumped and the wider health problems it may have caused.
The documents appear to show 600 tonnes of waste was moved 12 miles south of Corby to Kettering and some of it was placed under haul roads when there was major development in the area in the late nineties.
They also suggest more than 3,000 tonnes was dumped in total, with some going under council car parks and a lorry park in Corby.
In 1997 the Environment Agency wrote of its concern to a contractor, saying: “You will be aware that the results of analysis showed the stockpiled material to be contaminated…..
"Given that this material has been left stockpiled in an unauthorised manner for some considerable time…
"I am now concerned that the stockpiling and ‘end use’ of the material may give rise to contamination in what may be considered uncontaminated land.”
ITV News has also been given a copy of a report that was commissioned by the then Corby Borough Council, that shows there was concern during the steelworks reclamation about where the waste was dumped.
The report, dated 1997, states: “Results of chemical analyses undertaken on samples of soil recovered from the top 4m of made ground during the investigation indicate concentrations of arsenic ranging between 67mg/Kg and 1 50mg/Kg, all in excess of the threshold trigger concentration of 40mg/Kg for an end use of parks, playing fields and open space….
"The measured levels of arsenic may well prove toxic to construction workers and other site operatives coming into contact with the host material.
"Additionally, no testing has been undertaken to assess the leachable or water-soluble proportion of contaminants within the fill materials.”
Maggie Mahon’s son was born in 1997 with a clubfoot and was part of the High Court case.
Her husband drove trucks carrying the waste during the reclamation.
She told ITV News: “I just think it’s shocking really and people need to know. We need to know where it is and we need to know it’s safe."
North Northamptonshire Council declined ITV News’ interview request, but in a statement said it is "aware of historic reports identifying elevated arsenic concentrations in made ground across parts of Corby, particularly from former steelworks reclamation…
"The figures referenced may exceed thresholds for sensitive uses like residential and allotments but remain well below the threshold for commercial/industrial land."
It added: “We do recognise the understandable strength of feeling amongst the residents of Corby in relation to the historic and emotive issue of contaminated land.
"Regarding contaminated land, waste from the former steelworks was moved to Deene Quarry, a former landfill site on the outskirts of Corby where it was buried.
"This site is managed under an environmental permit held by North Northamptonshire Council and compliance with the conditions of the permit are regulated by the Environment Agency – gas and water sampling takes place on a yearly basis as part of the requirements of the permit."
It is not clear from the documents given to ITV News if the contaminated waste was ever removed, but what has never left this area is the families’ fear about the harm it has and could still be causing.
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