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29
SECTION C
SANITARY CIRCUMSTANCES
Water
The Borough is freely supplied with water from the Metropolitan
Water Board. As this supply is under continuous control no regular
examinations have been made.
A large number of premises receive their individual supply,
however, from a storage tank although in most cases a tap with a mains
supply is provided for drinking purposes. Each year a number of
storage tanks have been inspected, sometimes as a result of complaints,
and samples of the water from them have been examined bacteriologically.
No case of gross contamination has been discovered but on
a number of occasions action has been taken to secure the cleaning and
more efficient covering of the tanks.
During 1955 two such examinations were made.
At one time there were a considerable number of deep wells in the
Borough but the great majority of them have been sealed off during the
last 70 or 80 years. A number of bore holes existed on bombed sites
and particular attention was paid during the war to seeing that they
were adequately sealed to prevent seepage liable to contaminate the
waters beneath the clay.
At present the only known remaining deep wells are situated in
the premises of
1. The Royal London House, Finsbury Square
2. City Gate House, Finsbury Square
3. Bovril, Ltd., Old Street (Not in actual use)
4. Nicholson's Gin, St. John Street.
The first two mentioned premises are in crown occupation and the
waters from the wells are regularly examined on behalf of the Ministry
of Works.
Occasional bacteriological examinations of the waters from the
other wells have been conducted and no evidence of contamination has
been discovered. In 1955 two examinations were made.
Swimming Baths
The Council maintains two establishments, one in Ironmonger Row
and the other in Merlin Street, both of which provide in addition to a
large indoor warmed swimming pool, slipper baths and facilities for
the washing of clothes. That in Ironmonger Row is particularly well
equipped in every way and also contains a Turkish Bath section.