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SANITARY CIRCUMSTANCES.
Water supply.
There were no complaints received during the year concerning
the purity of the domestic water supply. Every house
in the Borough is provided with water direct from the mains
of the Metropolitan Water Board.
There are seven wells in operation in the area, but the
water from them is used only for industrial purposes.
Sanitary inspection.
For the first time since the War it is possible to report that
the establishment of Sanitary Inspectors remained at full
strength throughout the year, although their numbers included
an officer whose services had been retained beyond the normal
retiring age.
Details of the work performed by these Officers is set out
in the statistical appendix to this report.
Lead poisoning due to burning battery cases.
In January 1955 a letter was received from the Ministry
of Health drawing attention to an outbreak of lead poisoning
in a Northern town which was due to the burning of old bakelite
battery cases in ordinary domestic firegrates.
Investigations were promptly made as to the possibility
of any firm in Camberwell dealing in old batteries and disposing
of the cases for fuel. No such practice was discovered, but as
a precautionary measure a letter was addressed to a firm known
to deal in old batteries, drawing attention to the danger and
asking them to take steps to ensure that old battery cases were
not disposed of by burning.
Registration of Barbers and Hairdressers.
The "appointed day" for the purposes of Section 18 of the
London County Council (General Powers) Act, 1954, was fixed
for the 1st September, 1955, and model byelaws prepared by the
Metropolitan Boroughs' Standing Joint Committee were adopted
by the Council and brought into operation on the 1st October,
1955. These byelaws include the following requirements.
1. For the purpose of securing the cleanliness of the premises,
a hairdresser or barber shall comply with the following
provisions.