Netflix's 'Toxic Town' Revisits Landmark British Environmental Negligence Case

The series dramatizes the fight for justice by Corby mothers whose children were born with birth defects linked to toxic waste mismanagement.

Toxic Town is a Netflix drama based on the real-life Corby poisonings in the UK, where improper handling of toxic waste from a steel plant led to a cluster of birth defects in the 1980s and 1990s.
The case involved mothers from Corby who connected their children’s limb abnormalities to exposure to toxic materials during a reclamation project led by the Corby Borough Council.
Civil litigator Des Collins represented the families in a legal battle that spanned over a decade, ultimately leading to a 2009 ruling that found the council extensively negligent.
The series features a star-studded cast, including Jodie Whittaker, Aimee Lou Wood, and Rory Kinnear, portraying key figures in the fight for accountability.
The Corby scandal is often referred to as the 'British Erin Brockovich' due to its parallels with high-profile environmental justice cases.