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22
Legal Proceedings.
During the year, legal proceedings were taken by the Council in
79 cases, for the enforcement of various Acts, By-laws, Regulations,
etc., administered by the Health Department. A summary is set out
below:- Cases
Public Health (London) Act, 1936 72
Housing Act, 1957 2
Food and Drugs Act, 1955, and Food Hygiene (General)
Regulations, 1960 4
London County Council (General Powers) Act, 1959 1
79
Fines totalling £38 0s. 0d. were imposed in connection with these
proceedings, and £39 0s. 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, Intimation Notices (relating to 845 premises)
and Statutory (Nuisance) Notices (relating to 487 premises) were
served. It was found necessary to refer 163 cases to the Council's
Solicitor with instructions to take steps, by legal proceedings if
necessary, to enforce compliance with Statutory Notices. In 91 of these
cases a warning letter from the Solicitor had the desired effect. In
the remaining 72 cases, however, summonses had to be issued. As a
result, Nuisance Orders were made by the Court in 29 instances. The
remaining 43 summonses were ultimately withdrawn, the Notices having
been complied with subsequent to the issue of the summonses.
Defective conditions in 801 houses were remedied—438 by owners
following the service of Intimation Notices; 416 by owners following the
service of Statutory Notices, and in 17 cases action to enforce compliance
with Nuisance Orders had to be taken, and the Council carried out the
work in 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
87 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dwelling after the supply has been withdrawn by the Metropolitan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. Notice
were served on nine occasions and in seven cases the Council did the
work in default.