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98
Prevention of Damage by Pests Act, 1949.—Rats and mice are
notorious not only for the wholesale destruction and fouling of foodstuffs
and for the structural damage they cause to buildings, but also
for their part in the spread of disease. Leptospirosis (Weil's disease)
is primarily a disease of rats and is one which can be fatal to man.
The disease is transmitted by means of food, dust, mud, slime and
water which has been contaminated by urine or faeces from infected
rats. Efficient rodent control is the first and most important
defence against this type of disease.
The Prevention of Damage by Pests Act, 1949, has placed the
onus for the destruction of these pests on Local Authorities and
makes obligatory the notification to these authorities by occupiers
of any rodent infestation. It has not been found necessary during
the year to take legal action to enforce the provisions of the Act.
The report on the previous page was submitted to the
Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food, for the year ended
31st December, 1964.
Baiting of Sewers.— The Borough Engineer has kindly supplied
me with the undermentioned information of the treatments carried
out in the Council's sewers in connection with the scheme:—
During the period 23rd November to 19th December of the
current year a total of 1,374 sewer manholes were baited, which was
the maximum number available for baiting throughout the Borough.
The Direct poisoning method was employed and the bait used was
fluoracetamide (1081).
Anti-Fly and Anti-Mosquito Campaign.— During the summer
period, April to September, the campaign has continued on
similar lines to previous years. Two men are employed in this
important preventive aspect of the Department's work consisting
of dealing with complaints and carrying out routine inspection and
treatment of sites where breeding may occur. A 5 cwt. van is used
to convey personnel and the necessary appliances and materials.
The major factors to be controlled include house refuse
contained in the dust chutes and dustbins, food shops, cafes and
canteens, static water sites, water butts, derelict baths and tanks,
ponds and ditches, etc.
During the year 22 complaints regarding flies and mosquitoes
were received and a further 11 instances were revealed during
survey. A persistent source of complaint in previous years arose
from the S.E.G.B's allotment area where, during the summer period,
the Bendix outfall left pockets of stagnant water on the low-lying
land which gave rise to conditions ideally suited for the breeding
of mosquitoes. In recent years effective control has been obtained
with anti-malarial capsules and, as a consequence, complaints from