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In connection with the supervision of drainage works, a total of
2,868 inspections were made during the year. Fourteen notices were
served under Section 40 of the Public Health (London) Act, 1936, and
in two instances the necessary work was carried out by the Council,
the expenses incurred being recovered from the owners of the property
It had been necessary on account of. staff. shortage, etc., to
utilise the services of the factory inspector for district work and
other duties and the work of inspecting the factories was in arrear.
During 1953, it was decided that- the district inspectors should be
responsible for the routine inspection of factories and It was
possible by this means almost to double the number of primary
inspections that were carried out in 1952.
Amongst the sanitary defects in connection with which notices
were served, the number of dirty and/or dilapidated rooms dropped
from almost 4,000 in 1952 to just over 2,500 in 1953. This is in
part due to decisions of the magistrates that lack of decoration is
not a statutory nuisance and items requiring the redecoration of a
room are consequently erased from orders made by the court for
compliance with statutory notices. In a recent case a similar
decision by a magistrate was upheld on appeal and consequently
becomes binding on magistrates in the future.