Date set for birth defects case

A multi-million pound lawsuit against a Northamptonshire council over birth defects allegedly caused by toxic waste will go to the High Court in February.

Corby Borough Council is contesting claims it was negligent over exposing 18 children to hazardous waste while they were still in the womb.

The alleged exposure is linked to a reclamation project on an abandoned former steelworks site in the town.

The children were born between 1985 and 1999 and some have limb deformities.

Those behind the lawsuit claim the council was negligent in its supervision of a clean-up of a site abandoned by British Steel because of recession in the mid-1980s.

Four-month trial

They believe airborne exposure to toxic chemicals, heavy metals and dioxins during early stages of pregnancy caused a range of serious birth defects including limb deformities.

The council also faces substantial damages claims based on alleged "public nuisance" and under the 1990 Environmental Protection Act.

The case is being contested by the borough council and judge, Mr Justice Akenhead, has set 16 February next year as the start date for the trial, expected to last four months.

The case revolves around the council's acquisition of 680 acres of land around Corby from the British Steel Corporation in the late 1980s.

At the hearing in February next year, the court will hear specialist evidence on areas such as waste disposal, toxicology, foetal development, epidemiology and air pollution, Mr Justice Akenhead said.

E-mail this to a friend

Printable version