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67
No licence was granted in connection with premises on which
the pig-keeping would be a contravention of Section 17 of the Public
Health (London) Act, 1891, and, consequently, the applications
for the two following premises were refused:—206a, Brixton Road
(rear of), and 235, Wandsworth Road (rear of); and, for the same
reason, the Council decided to take no action in regard to a proposal
that land in the Acre Lane (a disused field adjoining the Acre Lane,
Brixton, allotments and facing houses in Ashmere Grove and Plato
Road respectively) should be taken over for Pig-keeping.
Flooding of Basements and Ground Floors.
A severe thunderstorm on July 17th, 1918, caused a flooding of
basements and ground-floor rooms of a serious nature in various
parts of the Borough, e.g., especially Herne Hill, Loughborough
Junction, and low-lying parts of West Norwood—2 to 5 ft. being
registered in some cases as the height of the flood water in some of
the cellars, basements and lower storeys of the houses. The
rapidity with which the water rose prevented bedding and carpets
being moved to a place of safety, or even furniture.
As far as could be ascertained, little or no injury to health
results in the flooded areas, though the inconvenience was considerable.
Fortunately, the storm water quickly subsided, and,
though it was contaminated with sewage matter from the overflows
from the sewers and drains, such contamination was slight and well
diluted with the large volumes of storm (rain) water ; and these
facts probably explain the absence of injury to health amongst
the occupiers of the affected houses. Lime was freely used under
the floorings of rooms after the removal of the silt and other débris
left by the storm.