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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.
The following table is a record of his work for the year:—
Number of individual premises visited by the rat officer on
receipt of complaint 223
Total number of visits paid 2,082
Number of poison baits laid during the year 69,040
,, ,, disappeared 65,470
,, ,, removed by the rat officer 3,500
Number of premises where concreting of basement floors has
been carried out under the direction of sanitary inspectors
to prevent the ingress of rats 6
Number of premises where other repairs have been carried
out under the direction of sanitary inspectors to prevent
the ingress of rats 46
Number of sewer defects allowing egress of rats made good 9
Number of premises cleared of rats 153
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. Fifty-six dead rats were found in sewers, 20 rats were destroyed
at Wood Lane depot and 36 rats and mice were killed in private premises.
Nuisances from Pigeons.
Section 121 of the Public Health (London) Act, 1936 (which replaces Section 52 of the London
County Council (General Powers) Act, 1927), provides that for the purpose of abating any nuisance
caused by pigeons, the council may seize and destroy those in excess of such number as may be
considered reasonable. It is necessary, however, in the first place for the council to obtain consent
to the measures adopted by them from owners of any building upon which the birds congregate.
In previous reports I have stressed the difficulty encountered in the trapping of pigeons owing
to the practice of feeding them adopted by a small number of residents. The public health
committee have several times considered this aspect of the problem and have made representations
with a view to securing legislation to control indiscriminate feeding. No success has attended
their efforts in this direction and the large amount of work involved in dealing with the pigeon
nuisance has consequently had somewhat disappointing results.
In view of the difficulties encountered in trapping, particular attention has been paid in the
last few years to the wiring up of church steeples and other places where it was found that pigeons
roosted. Five churches have been dealt with in this way, and the number of pigeons has been
considerably lessened. It is fairly certain that the majority of the pigeons now seen in Kensington
roost outside the borough and come in only to feed.
During 1936, 105 pigeons were killed and 40 eggs destroyed. Since June, 1929, when the
council started to deal with the problem 1,957 pigeons have been destroyed.
Fouling of Footpaths by Dogs.
In 1921 the council made a by-law under which it was an offence for any person, in charge
of a dog on a lead, to allow it to deposit its excrement on the public footway.
The original penalty was a sum not exceeding 40s. but following a deputation from the council
to the Home Office in 1933, the Home Secretary modified the by-law by increasing the maximum
penalty to £5.
Following further representations, the borough council succeeded, in 1936, in obtaining sanction
to a wider by-law. Whereas the original by-law applied only to an offence committed by a dog
whilst on a lead, the new by-law applies in the case of a dog either on or off a lead.
There is a proviso to the effect that a person shall not be liable to be convicted if he satisfies
the Court that the fouling by the dog was not due to culpable neglect or default by the person in charge.
This new by-law will undoubtedly assist the council's officers in securing a greater improvement
in the condition of the streets, for it was found previously that many persons evaded the law by
slipping the lead on becoming aware that their dog was about to foul the footway.
The attention of the public is drawn to the by-law by means of handbills, posters and notices
pasted on lamp posts and sand bins.
During the year 35 summonses were issued in respect of offences. Fines of £1 in one case.
10s. in thirty-two cases and 5s. in two cases were imposed. The number of convictions since the
first by-law came into operation is 153.