View report page

210
During the year 3,534 reports on such enquiries were forwarded
to the Town Clerk's department.
Drainage and Sewerage
Under the Public Health Act, 1936, an existing combined drain
is classified as a public sewer which it is the Council's duty to maintain,
cleanse and empty. "Maintenance" includes repair, renewal
and improvement but, in the case of improvement includes only that
which may be necessary to make the length of sewer adequate for
draining the premises served by it immediately before the improvement
was undertaken. A local authority is entitled to recover the
expenses reasonably incurred in carrying out such works.
During the year, 391 public sewers were tested and maintained,
cleansed or emptied.
Eleven cesspools remain in use in the Borough and under the
Borough Engineer and Planning Officer's direction, these are emptied
on request.
Plans received in respect of proposed drainage work to be
carried out to existing buildings are examined by the Public Health
Inspectors prior to their submission by the Borough Engineer and
Planning Officer to the Council for approval.
Radioactive Substances Act, 1960
The Act is concerned with the control of the accumulation and
disposal of radioactive wastes and, as from 1st December, 1963,
persons keeping or using radioactive material will, unless exempted,
be required to register with the Minister of Housing and Local
Government and obtain authorisation from him for the accumulation
or disposal of radioactive waste.
During the year the Minister has forwarded one copy of a
certificate of registration and copies of three revised certificates
under this Act.
Water Supply
The whole of the Borough is supplied with water by the Metropolitan
Water Board, a Statutory undertaking, which, as a result of
the Metropolis Water Act, 1902, was formed in 1903 when it took
over the 8 undertakings which were then supplying London's water.
As a Board it is committed to supply a population of some 6¼
million people within an area of 540 square miles extending from
Ware in the north to Sevenoaks in the South and which has an
average daily consumption of about 400 million gallons. One of this
Borough's two wells which supply drinking water is a most prolific
contributor to the Board's supplies, having a normal output of 5
million gallons per day.
The Board is responsible for the purity of its water and the
supplies are regularly tested—chemically and physically for an