View report page

23
Legal Proceedings.
During the year, legal proceedings were taken by the Council in
cases, for the enforcement of various Acts, By-laws, Regulations,
administered by the Health Department. A summary is set out
below:-
Cases
Public Health (London) Act, 1936 88
By-laws re drainage 6
Housing Act, 1957 2
96
Fines totalling £31 0s. 0d. were imposed in connection with these
proceedings, and £44 10s. 0d. costs were awarded to the Council.
Public Health (London) Act, 1936.
The provisions of this Act in regard to Nuisances continued to
afford the main means whereby the remedy of insanitary conditions
found in dwelling houses could be secured.
During the year, 1,278 Intimation Notices (relating to 994
premises) and 665 Statutory (Nuisance) Notices (relating to 616
premises) were served. It was found necessary to refer 173 cases to the
Council's Solicitor with instructions to take steps, by legal proceedings
if necessary, to enforce compliance with Statutory Notices. In 85 of
these cases a warning letter from the Solicitor had the desired effect.
In the remaining 88 cases, however, summonses had to be issued. As a
result, Nuisance Orders were made by the Court in 32 instances. The
remaining 56 summonses were ultimately withdrawn, the Notices having
been complied with subsequent to the issue of the summonses.
Defective conditions in 1,194 houses were remedied—556 by owners
following the service of Intimation Notices; 620 by owners following the
service of Statutory Notices, and in 18 cases action to enforce compliance
with Nuisance Orders had to be taken, and the Council carried out the
work default of the persons on whom the Orders were made. In those
cases, the Council were entitled to recover the cost of the works from
those persons, and accounts were accordingly rendered to them.
London County Council (General Powers) Act, 1955.
Section 25 of the above Act relative to choked drains was used on
113 occasions. This Section enables a notice to be served upon an
owner or occupier to clear a stopped-up drain, water closet or soil pipe,
within forty-eight hours. If the notice is not complied with the Council
may carry out the work and recover the cost. It was necessary for the
council to do the work on 30 occasions.
Section 26 enables the Council to re-instate a water supply to a
dwelling after the supply has been withdrawn by the Metropolitan
Water Board following a defect in the supply pipe or fittings. Notices
were served on eight occasions and in four cases the Council did the
work in default.