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Houses disinfected, after
infectious disease 118 (191 rooms)
Houses disinfested after vermin 277 (530 rooms)
Total weight of bedding, etc. dealt with:Tons
cwt. qtr. lb.
6 19 3 5
It is the practice of certain foreign countries to prohibit
the import of parcels of clothing, unless accompanied with a certificate
that the articles have been disinfected. The Council afford
facilities to persons desirous of sending clothing abroad, but make
a charge of 2/6d. for each certificate provided. During the year,
132 parcels of clothing were disinfected and the income amounted to
£16.10s. Od. The following table indicates the destination of these
parcels:-
No. of parcels
Czechoslovakia 45
Spain 62
Rumania 9
East Germany 15
Australia 1
TOTAL 132
Some other countries allow the import of clothing if
accompanied by a certificate stating that no case of infectious
disease has occurred at the sender's address within twenty-one
days prior to mailing. During the year 3 such certificates were
issued.
H.C.N. (hydrogen cyanide) Disinfestation
With the manufacture and sale for general use of effective
insecticides such as D.D.T., there has been a considerable reduction
in the number of bug-infested houses in the borough. The Council
have, therefore, discontinued their policy of treating with H.C.N.
the furniture of all incoming tenants of new flats, irrespective of
whether there was evidence of infestation or not. The Council's
Chief Housing Officer notifies the Medical Officer of Health, in
advance, of the names and addresses of prospective tenants, and
inspections of the furniture and effects at the old homes are made
by a public health inspector. If infestation is found, the contents
of the home are disinfested before being taken to the new flat.
PREVENTION OF DAMAGE BY PESTS
The Prevention of Damage by Pests Act, 1949, imposes a duty
on occupiers of premises to notify the Council of rodent infestation,
and the Council are required to ensure that the borough is, as far as
practicable, kept free from rats and mice. The Council deal with
rat and mice infestation in dwelling houses without cost to the
occupiers, but expenditure incurred in treating infestations on
commercial and industrial premises is recovered from the owners.
The Council are required to submit reports on (i) the
extent of infestation, (ii) special circumstances to which any
undue presence of rats and mice might be attributed, and (iii) the
nature and extent of co-operative working with contiguous local
authorities.
The Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food requested
a report for the twelve months ended 31st December, 1962 in the
following form:-