Diksha Sundriyal
Netflix’s ‘Toxic Town’ follows the horrifying true story of the chain of events in the town of Corby, where mismanagement of toxic waste led to severe consequences for the town’s residents. Told over four episodes, the story majorly unfolds from the point of view of Susan McIntyre, who got pregnant with her second son in 1995. He was born with a birth defect, which Susan later found to be more common amongst the children born in the same time frame. In the show, we witness her journey as she brings together the mothers of Corby, whose children have paid the price for the town council’s corrupt practices. The impact of their fight echoes even now.
Susan McIntyre Went Through Many Ups and Downs Following the Birth of Her Son Connor
Susan McIntyre was three years old when she came to Corby, like a lot of other people who moved there to work in the steel factory. Years later, that factory was shut down, and its reclamation spread the toxicity around town and affected pregnant women like Susan. At the time, she lived with her partner, Peter, with whom she had a son named Daniel. She found employment in different factories around the town but never thought that one of those factories could cause severe damage to her unborn son’s growth.
Years later, when she recalled the experience of seeing other women with their babies who were born with limb deformities, Susan said that she would console them and tell them that everything would turn out fine. Months later, the same thing happened to her son, and while it struck her as odd, she thought it might have had something to do with herself. Her second pregnancy was a tough one, as she dealt with pre-eclampsia and gestational diabetes, among other things. She was admitted to the hospital five weeks before the delivery, which was difficult in itself, and a caesarian had to be performed in the end.
Susan gave birth to her son, Connor, in March 1996 and immediately knew something was wrong when she saw the nurses whispering among themselves. It later turned out that Connor was born with a limb deformity. She confessed that the next few months were difficult because she couldn’t bear to look at her son’s hand. Slowly, however, her love for Connor overtook any inhibitions she might have had, and that’s all that mattered to her. Her partner, however, couldn’t seem to accept the situation, and eight months after Connor was born, Peter walked away from his family, leaving her to raise their two sons alone.
Over the years, Susan tried to find ways to make life as normal as possible for Connor. She even tried to do things with one hand to understand the challenges that he would face and find ways to counter them. While she provided a safe and supportive space for him at home, he was bullied at school. In BBC2’s documentary, ‘Toxic Town: The Corby Poisonings,’ she said that while Connor wanted nothing more than a normal life and move on, the bullies would torment him to the point that he stopped wanting to go out altogether. Susan revealed that he would bite his hand and even tried to cut it off because he was devastated by the comments made about his deformity. He went through several corrective surgeries, but they only made him feel worse and didn’t make anything better physically.
Susan McIntyre Led the Case of the Corby Mothers Against the Town Council
It took some time before Susan McIntyre realized that there were many other kids of Connor’s age who were also born with limb deformities. In a small town like Corby, it felt like a statistical anomaly, but the mothers never thought that someone else could be responsible for this. A few years after Connor’s birth, Susan was approached by journalists from The Sunday Times who talked to her about the entire cluster of children born with deformities and how there could be much more to the story. The article led several women to come out, and soon, Susan found herself at the fore of a campaign that would end with a landmark resolution to a lawsuit. However, the road to that win was full of struggles.
To help them build the case, the mothers needed a lawyer, and Susan picked Des Collins for the job. Not only was he a local, but he also seemed to show genuine care towards the children. He created a plan for the case, and Susan and the mothers did whatever they could to build it with him. In 2005, the case went to court, where it was claimed that the reclamation and redevelopment of the area surrounding the steel factory from the mid-80s to the late-90s resulted in the spill of toxic waste throughout the residential neighborhoods of the town. The council refused to accept its responsibility for mismanaging the waste and for exposing the townsfolk to its poison. However, in 2009, the court ended the case in favor of the Corby mothers, with the settlement costing the council about 14.6 million pounds. Susan described the time spent in court, especially during her testimony, as a scary experience. However, when they won, the celebration was just as wild.
Susan McIntyre Still Calls Corby Home
Now in her late 50s, Susan McIntyre remains a resident of Corby. With both her sons, Daniel and Connor, having left the nest years ago, she is enjoying her retirement years by herself. She spends most of her time with her loved ones and regularly visits her siblings, especially her sister. Her sons remain an integral part of her life, which now also includes Connor’s fiancé, Em Lou Young. The couple have two dogs, Carma and Roxy, whom Susan adores and calls her furry grandchildren. She is particularly active on social media and posts inspirational messages while also remembering her parents, especially her mother. She travels around the country, visiting the picturesque locales of Scotland and enjoys time in the sun by the beach.
Over the years, Susan has talked about toxic waste and its impact on her family in various media outlets. When the creators of ‘Toxic Town’ approached her, she was eager to be a part of it because she hoped that the show would expand the reach of the story and help other people understand how much their environment can impact their lives. She doesn’t wish for what happened to the children of Corby to happen to someone else and wants to spread awareness about it. She is happy with her portrayal in the Netflix series and met Jodie Whittaker during the filming of the show. The actress asked for her advice, and she told her to get the accent right more than anything. Overall, she approves of the show and is grateful that the story has been brought to the audience worldwide.
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