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far up as Fulham and Chelsea and in many areas on the lower
reaches of the Thames.
The Port Medical Officer of Health has confirmed the presence
of a permanent concentration of sewage effluent moving up and
down with the tides and this is doubtless the predominating cause
of the complaints.
Existing sewage disposal works at Beckton in Essex and
Crossness in Kent have for some time been unable satisfactorily to
cope with the extra sewage from a growing London, with the result
that a somewhat foul effluent is being discharged prematurely.
The London County Council has been mindful of the need for
extensions to these plants at the northern and southern outfalls
and has recently token steps to improve the situation.
Work was commenced in September 1950 at the northern
outfall for an extension of 16 new sedimentation tanks with
electrically-driven mechanical screens, disintegrators, etc., and it is
anticipated that the project will be completed during 1953. No
real improvement can be expected before this time, but the installation
of a chlorination plant was to provide an interim measure.
In addition, a new programme was introduced which included
a scheme for the treatment of a further 30,000,000 gallons of sedimented
sewage per day at each outfall by diffused air-activated
sludge plants.
After further consideration and after consultation with the
Ministry of Health in February of this year, it was agreed that the
plant capacity in the new scheme should be increased to 60,000,000
gallons at each outfall.
The whole scheme will take a number of years to complete and
the final, cost of the improvements is expected to be in the region of
£10,000,000.
Defective Dwellings.—Repairs.—With regard to houses
found not to be in a reasonable state of repair, the following
procedure, classified under three headings, is generally adopted:—
(1) Complaints from or on behalf of the occupier.—The District
Sanitary Inspector makes inspection and an intimation is sent to the
owner specifying the defect and nature of nuisance found. Where
necessary, the circumstances are reported to the Public Health
Committee for authority to serve a Statutory Notice to enforce
abatement of the nuisance. The premises are re-inspected by the
Sanitary Inspector and, if work required is not executed within a
reasonable pericd, Statutory Notice is served. In cases of noncompliance
the Town Clerk is instructed to institute proceedings.