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Removal of Aged, Infirm or Physically Incapacitated Persons.
Under Section 28 of the London County Council (General Powers) Act, 1928, the borough
council have power to remove to a hospital, infirmary, institution or other similar place, aged, infirm
or physically incapacitated persons living under insanitary conditions.
During the year three cases were dealt with. One was that of a woman of 79 years of age who
was compulsorily removed in 1929 but had been discharged in April, 1930, and again removed in
November, 1933. This woman made a practice of wandering the streets in the night-time, collecting
old rubbish and storing it in her rooms, which were consequently in a crowded and offensive
condition. As far back as 1925 this woman came under the notice of the sanitary inspector and,
after the instigation of legal proceedings, nine cartloads of rubbish were removed from her rooms.
When she was eventually removed in 1929, ten cartloads of rubbish (weighing 5 tons 1 cwt.) were
removed. On the occasion of the second removal, a large quantity of rubbish was removed, the total
weight of which was 3 tons 12 cwt. In February, 1934, the magistrates granted an order for the
retention of this woman for a further period of three months. In March, the owner of the house
in which the woman resided obtained an order for possession of her room within twenty-eight days.
In May, an order was obtained for the woman's retention in St. Mary Abbots Institution for a
further three months. She eventually came out of the institution in August. She was not able to
occupy her room, and up to the present the sanitary inspector has not been able to trace her.
The second case was that of a woman of about 80 years of age. She was ill, and a private
doctor was called in who reported the woman's circumstances to a sanitary inspector. There
were no relations living nearer than Scotland, and these could not look after her. An order was
obtained for her removal to hospital in March, and she died shortly after her admission.
The third case was that of a woman, aged 88 years, who lived alone in a basement room. Her
room, bed and bedding were infested with bugs ; her sight and mental powers were affected. She
had one relation, a nephew living in the country, who could do nothing for her. An order
for her removal to hospital was obtained in September, an extension order for three months was
granted in January, 1935 ; and the woman is still in hospital.
The Rats and Mice (Destruction) Act, 1919.
A rat officer is employed to assist in the work of rat destruction under the supervision of the
sanitary inspectors. He has carried out good work during the year, as is evidenced by the following
table :—
Number of individual premises visited by the rat officer on
receipt of complaint 211
Total number of visits paid 2,298
Number of poison baits laid during the year 72,530
„ „ disappeared 66,470
,, ,, removed by the rat officer 6,060
Number of premises where concreting of basement floors has
been carried out under the direction of sanitary inspectors
to prevent the ingress of rats 19
Number of premises where other repairs have been carried
out under the direction of sanitary inspectors to prevent
the ingress of rats 74
Number of sewer defects allowing egress of rats made good 5
Number of statutory notices served under the Rats and Mice
(Destruction) Act, 1919 —
Number of premises cleared of rats 188
During the National Rat Week, held in November, special measures of rat destruction were
put in hand in the borough council sewers, at the borough council depots and on railway and canal
property in the borough. A report of the work done was subsequently published.
Nuisances from Pigeons.
Section 52 of the London County Council (General Powers) Act, 1927, provides that, for the
purpose of abating or mitigating any nuisance, annoyance or damage caused by the congregation at
any place in the borough of house doves or pigeons having, or believed by the borough council to
have no owner, or of preventing or minimising any such nuisance, annoyance or damage which
might, in the opinion of the council, be so caused, the council may seize and destroy or sell any
such house doves or pigeons in excess of such number as the council may consider reasonable, and
take such steps as they may deem necessary for this purpose. It is necessary, however, in the first
place for the council to obtain consent to the measures adopted by them from the person or body
in whom the building or land upon which the birds congregate is vested.
During the year 1934, 285 pigeons were killed and 103 eggs destroyed. Since June, 1928, when
the council first took action under this section, 1,723 pigeons have been destroyed.