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46
PUBLIC HEALTH (LONDON) ACT, 1891.
(a) Complaints of Nuisances.—During 1909 there were 2,108
complaints of nuisance, etc., made to the Public Health
Department, and were investigated by the Sanitary Inspectors
of the Borough. About 16 per cent. of these complaints were
anonymous; but these received the same consideration as other
complaints. Notices were served for the remedy of any defects
or the abatement of any nuisances found, upon the person or
persons responsible under the above Act.
(b) Infectious Disease.—There was a further decrease in
1909 upon the previous year, on the number of houses inspected
after infectious disease therein. This, of course, is due to a less
prevalence of notifiable infectious disease in the Borough during
1909. The number so inspected was 1,358, being 489 less than
the number so inspected during 1908. Whatever sanitary defects
or nuisances were found were dealt with in the usual way
under the Public Health (London) Act, 1891.
(c) House to House Inspections.—These are distinct from
and in addition to the inspections made under (a) and (b). The
year 1909 witnessed a large increase in the number of such
inspections over that of 1908. Last year the house to house
inspections numbered 2,254. This is an increase of 700 over the
number of such inspections made during the previous year.
These inspections have been made as in previous years in
various parts of the Borough, but chiefly in Homerton, London
Fields, De Beauvoir Town, Spring Hill, and Hackney Wick, i.e.,
the poorer districts of the Borough.
Most of the nuisances or defects found on inspection were
abated in most cases on the service of intimation notices alone.
The total number of such notices served during the year was
4,728. The number of statutory notices served was 429, but
it was only necessary to institute legal proceedings in 15 cases
to secure compliance with the notices served. This is equal to
.32 per cent. of the intimation notices.