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15
For a number of years, all the sewers in the borough have
been treated with poison bait, to destroy rats, twice yearly. This
work had, up to 1957, been carried out in January and June each year,
coinciding with similar treatments carried out in neighbouring boroughs.
The Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food recommended in 1957
that a new system of treatment should be introduced, which involved
changing the times of baiting to April and September each year,
allowing a longer period of time during which baits were left in the
sewers, and mixing a mould inhibitor (paranitrophenol) with the baiting
material to act as a preservative. The following table shows
the results obtained during the year, compared with the results
obtained in the nrevious six vears:-
Year Estimated number of rats killed
1st Treatment 2nd Treatment
1954 4,142 4,667
1955 4,515 3,430
1956 4,764 4,138
1957 4,476 (January)
7,751 (April) 7,044 (September)
1958 4,945 6,617
1959 6,211 8,082
1960 10,414 5,416
The rodent staff deal with infestations from pests other
than rats and mice, and the following is a summary of all action
taken during the year:-
Premises inspected following complaints 1,385
Premises where rats were found 387
Premises where mice were found 596
Premises where other vermin were found 163
Premises where no infestation existed 239
Number of visits made 7,617
Number of notices served 18
Number of successful treatments 1,356
Cases in which advice only was given 65
Borough Council properties dealt with 53
PHARMACY AND POISONS ACT, 1933
At the end of the year the number of sellers of Part II
Poisons (other than registered pharmacists) on the list maintained by
the Council was 123• Of this number 3 were new registrations during
the year.
One sample of disinfectant was examined under the provisions
of this Act, and was reported not to contain poisons within the
meaning of the Act.
RAG FLOCK AND OTHER FILLING MATERIALS ACT, 1951
This Act regulates the use of clean filling materials in
upholstered articles and other articles which are stuffed or lined.
Subject to certain exceptions, the Act makes it unlawful
to use prescribed filling materials except on premises registered by
a local authority. The exceptions are in the remaking and reconditioning
of any article or upholstering in connection with the
making of railway carriages, road vehicles, ships or aircraft. The
local authority are required, on the application of the occupier of
premises, to register the premises on payment of a registration fee
of one pound. At the end of the year, there were 19 registered
premises in the borough.