London's Pulse: Medical Officer of Health reports 1848-1972

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Kensington 1962

[Report of the Medical Officer of Health for Kensington Borough.

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- 18 -
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 previous six years:-
Year
Estimated number of rats killed
1st Treatment
2nd Treatment
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
1961 4,243 3,002
1962 2,387 2,345

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 years:-

Premises inspected following complaints844
Premises where rats were found254
Premises where mice were found550
Premises where other vermin were found156
Premises where no infestation existed4
Number of visits made4,678
Number of successful treatments1,005
Cases in which advice only was given52
Borough Council properties dealt with22

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 7 were new registrations
during the year.
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.
The Act further provides that no rag flock shall be
delivered to registered premises except from premises licensed for
manufacturing rag flock or used as a store for rag flock. A