View report page

35
During the year the Staff made 3,122 visits to 363 different
The sewers under control of the Council were treated on
two occasions to destory rats. The method adopted was that recommended
by the Ministry Agriculture and Fisheries, namely, to lay
prebait (unpoisoned) on two successive days, and to follow on the third
day with poisoned bait.
The Ministry of Agriculture and Fisheries, under the terms of
their Circular N.S. No. 11 pay a grant of 50 per cent, towards the cost
of the service in so far as this is not recovered by the Council from
occupiers of premises.
In regard to business premises, I should mention that for many
years past there have existed arrangements between the Council and the
occupiers of a numbers of business premises, mostly large factories,
whereby, in consideration of their paying a fixed annual sum, the Council
have carried out all the necessary treatments. For that purpose, routine
visits were paid to the premises. This system worked exceedingly
well, for it ensured continuity of treatment and saved much time and
trouble in rendering periodical accounts. The Ministry, however, took
exception to it, for reasons not understood. With considerable
reluctance, therefore, these arrangements were allowed to lapse, and
accounts are now rendered quarterly.
Vacant Sites, Static Water Tanks, etc.
Many complaints were received during the year of nuisances
alleged to be caused by the caused by the dumping of rubbish on vacant sites and in
derelict buildings and disused static water tanks, and by the accumulation
of stagnant water in the last named. In many cases the deposits
were merely builders' rubbish and other material which, though
unsinghtly, could not be a danger to health, and no action
could therefore be taken. In some cases, however, vegetable refuse,
dead animals, old bedding and other material of a putrescible nature
was found. The whole question of such nuisances was considered by
the Metropolitan Boroughs' Standing Joint Committee, by whom representantions,
seeking some solution of the problem, were made to the
appropriate Government Departments. It does not appear that anything
tangible resulted from these representations. The view was, however,
expressed that in the cases of cleared sites and derelict buildings, and
of water tanks where the sites had been derequisitioned, the owner of
the building or site is responsible, under the Public Health (London)
Act, 1936, for the abatement of any statutory nuisance. The
ment of this responsibility is by no means a simple matter. In one case,
however, of a tank which was in a particularly bad state, a notice was
served on the owners, who eventually had the tank removed.
The Council set aside a sum of £100 to be expended in removing
any deposit which was causing a serious nuisance. Four cases were
dealt with in this way.
On the 23rd June, 1948, the Council made a by-law under which
it was made an offence for anyone to deposit rubbish on any land
abutting the highway so as injuriously to affect the amenities of
the neighbourhood. No case was dealt with under this by-law during
the year.