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SANITARY CIRCUMSTANCES
Water Supply.
No complaints were received during the year with
regard to the purity of the water supply which is provided
to every dwelling house in the Borough direct from the
mains of the Metropolitan Water Board.
Drainage and Sewerage.
Applications for approval in respect of the drainage
of new buildings and alterations to the drainage of
existing buildings numbered 414 during the year. No new
sewers were constructed but 4,874 ft. of existing sewers
were renewed.
Sanitary accommodation in houses in multiple occupation.
When the by-law relating to the provision of water
closets was superseded by Section 11 of the Housing Repairs
and Rents Act, 1954, the Council gave consideration to the
standard to be applied for the provision of such sanitary
accommodation, and adopted the recommendation of the
Metropolitan Boroughs Standing Joint Committee viz, one
water closet for each household where practicable, and
where premises are let in lodgings at least one water
closet for every eight persons or one water closet for
every four rooms whichever is the higher standard.
In order to secure compliance with these requirements
it is necessary for the Council to serve a notice under
Section 36 of the Housing Act 1557, but this section provides
that the landlord may meet the requirements of the notice
either by carrying out the necessary works or by reducing
the number of occupants. It is apparent therefore,
that extensive use of this legislation may well result in
hardship by the eviction of occupants and a consequent
increase in the demand for housing accommodation.
Fortunately, only a very few cases have come to the
notice of the Public Health Department where the sanitary
accomodation was so inadequate as to justify action under
Section 36 but in one instance where the landlord indicated
his intention of evicting some of the occupants in the
event of such a notice being served, the Council refrained
from taking statutory action for the time being.