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23
Drainage Work.
The by-laws made by the London County Council under the
Metropolis Management Acts with regard to drainage, and also those
under the Public Health (London) Act relating to water-closets, etc.,
are enforced by the Council.
During the year new drains were constructed to 228 new buildings,
and the drains of 30 old buildings were partially or entirely reconstructed
under the supervision of the Officers of the Department.
102 plans of proposed proposed drainage work were deposited in 1949,
as compared with 112 in 1948.
During the year drains were tested by smoke on 115 occasions,
and 41 were found defective. The water test was applied on 503
occasions, us being mainly to drains in course of construction.
The frontage drains of 20 premises were constructed or
structed.
Combined Drainage.
year four claims were made by owners of houses
drained combined operations that the common portions of those
drainage systems were "sewers" within the meaning of the Public
Health (London ) Act, 1936, and that the Council were consequently
responsible for their maintenance. In the following two cases the
Council admitted the liability and carried out the necessary works to
the "sewers":—
94/102 Cabul Road.
122, 124, etc., Usk Road.
In two cases, liability was repudiated, and the work was
subsequently carried out by the owners at their own expense.
Smoke Nuisances.
During the year a number of complaints were made, alleging
nuisances from smoke, dust, grit, etc., emitted from premises occupied
by various industrial and public utility undertakings in the Borough,
such complaints were carefully investigated.
In the Annual Report for 1948, reference was made to serious
emissions of smoke, grit, etc., from two public utility undertakings
in the Borough. In one of them (an electricity generating station)
the installation during 1949 of additional grit arresting and other plant
of a similar nature reduced the emissions to a very material extent.
In the other cases (a .gas works) little improvement can be reported,
and does not seem likely to take place until the replacement of a
large amount of plant of an obsolete type can be effected. This, it
appears, is not likely to take place for a number of years.
Apart from these two instances, the complaints related to emissions
from various industrial plants. On investigation, they were found
to be due to some transient cause such as the use of unsuitable fuel,
or temporary breakdown of some part of the plant. No formal
action was found necessary in any of these cases.
The total number of observations made was 133.