The 1950s industrial town where dogs are mysteriously dying, cancer cases are rocketing and residents are too scared to go into their own gardens

'You think you're doing the right thing,' says mother-of-five Sam Hammond from her garden in Thornton-Cleveleys, a small town north of Blackpool. One of the two areas had 14 cases of kidney cancer between 2003-22 against an expected number of just six. For around six decades, PFOA was used as part of that manufacturing process and both ICI and AGC used the compound. Dr Dan Middleton, senior lecturer in environmental cancer epidemiology, says kidney cancer is 'consistently linked' to PFOA exposureSurely then, this is evidence that the chemical plant has adversely affected the health of local residents? Steve pauses to highlight the noise emitted 24 hours a day by the ventilation fans of the chemical plant that only shuts down on Christmas Day.