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24
Clean Air Act, 1956.
Smoke Control Areas.
The Clean Air Act, 1956 (Appointed Day) Order, came into
operation on the 31st December of that year, and brought certain
provisions of the Act into effect. Section 11, one of the effective
Sections, gave the Council power to establish smoke control areas by
means of Orders confirmed by the Minister. Following the coming
into operation of a smoke control order, if on any day smoke is emitted
from a chimney within the area, the occupier of the building would be
guilty of an offence, the maximum penalty being £10 for each day the
offence is committed. No offence, however, will be committed
providing an authorised fuel has been used. The Act provides for
payment of Exchequer and Council grants towards the cost of conversion
or adaptation of any fireplace to burn smokeless fuel in a
private dwelling. Following a detailed report, the Council decided that
the area surrounding St. James' Hospital was a suitable area to declare
as their first smoke control area, and a preliminary survey was made.
The area is compact, and is bounded by Belle Vue Road, Wiseton
Road, Nottingham Road, St. James' Drive, Upper Tooting ParkBoundaries
Road, Heslop Road and Ravenslea Road. Approximately
570 private dwellings are involved. Following this survey, the matter
was reported to the Council for further consideration, and work is now
in hand on a detailed survey of the area.
Offensive Trades.
There are two premises in the Borough at which the scheduled
offensive trade of fat melting is carried on. The firms concerned have
been established for many years, and the trades are conducted
satisfactorily.
Water Supply.
During the year 18 certificates under Section 95 (2) of the Public
Health (London) Act, 1936, were issued in respect of 291 new or
re-erected dwellings.
Fifty-five notices of waste of water from defective fittings, etc..
observed during routine inspections of various premises, were sent
to the Metropolitan Water Board.
Underground Water Supplies.
In 1947, my predecessor made a comprehensive report, following a
survey of all the deep wells known to exist in the Borough. The Survey
was made at the request of the Minister of Health, to ascertain whether
pollution existed, following the bombing of London during the war.
I thought it appropriate, after a period of ten years, to re-survey the
wells in use in the Borough to bring the information up-to-date.
There are now ten wells in use in the Borough, five having fallen
into disuse and having been sealed off during the last ten years. Water
from five of the wells in use is fit for drinking purposes.
Reports on the sampling of water taken for bacteriological
examination and chemical analysis show that the water at the time
of sampling was of a high degree of purity, although in certain instances
there was slight deterioration chemically. In one instance, because the
Analyst's report showed the presence of a small amount of tidal water,
the owner of the well immediately agreed to the installation of a