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collection and removal of offal from fishmongers' shops, and its
deposit, after removal, not only from such premises in the district
but from others in the metropolis, at a private depot in Bromley
previous to its being taken away in barges.
The Committee also enquired into the circumstances as to the
complaint from residents at Millwall relative to the nuisance due to
the removal of fish offal. In this last instance the offensive odour
emanating from such offal was no doubt increased by the want of
daily removal.
The nuisance at the depot arose from the shooting into a shed of
the offal from the vans (when they were used) in order that this
offensive matter might be put into the tanks, which when filled, were
slung on to the barges.
It was reported that when tanks with air-tight lids were used for
the collection of the offal and returned to the depot full they were
slung, without disturbing their contents or removing the lids, on to
the barges and no nuisance arose.
But when partly filled tanks were returned to the depot difficulty
arose, as the tanks had to be made up from other tanks or from the
vans, before being put on to the barges.
In the course of enquiry it was stated that the fishmongers did not
always deliver the offal to the collector when he called, but kept it
two or three days, hence the tanks returned to the dep6t partly
filled.
The Committee fully realised that fish offal is "an unknown
quantity," and for the sake of public health the sooner it was removed
from shops the better, and if fishmongers were to get rid of it themselves
it was obvious serious nuisances might be caused, and in
order that the offal might be delivered up when comparatively fresh