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31
During the year:—
1,397 complaints were received
12,930 investigations were carried out
2,095 infestations were found comprising
392 Business premises and 1,703 dwellings.
Treatments carried out were:—
Dwellings 1,703 with 12,005 baits being laid
Business Premises 151 with 1,359 baits being laid
Post bait treatments in respect of dwellings and
Business premises 476 with 4,000 baits being laid
2,330 17,364
Bombed Sites—Test baited only.
The number of agreements sent out—196
The number of agreements returned—151.
A number of business premises were dealt with by the occupiers' staff or private
servicing firms. Where this procedure was adopted the premises were kept under
supervision to ensure that the treatment was satisfactory. It was also necessary
in the case of several premises to have post-bait treatment carried out.
During the year defective drains were found to be a source of access by rats to
premises in the Borough and in this connection thirty smoke tests were carried out
from July to December with the result that seventeen defective drains were found.
Although treatment at dwelling houses is carried out free of charge, tenants are
not always appreciative of the efforts of the Council to rid their premises of rats.
In one case it was necessary for the Sanitary Inspector to take an action for assault
and the tenant was bound over for the sum of 40s. to keep the peace for one year.
The treatment at this house proved very difficult to carry out and a considerable
amount of time and labour was expended in relation thereto.
Two premises were dealt with by the Ministry of Agriculture and Fisheries with
a view to the Ministry testing the effectiveness of new poisons.
The co-operation of the staff of the Ministry of Agriculture and Fisheries and of
the Council's Borough Engineer's Department has been appreciated by this
Department.
An analysis of infestation in the Borough has shown that the proportion of black
rat infestation was approximately 2 per cent., and the number of premises found to be
infested with black rats was twenty-eight.
Disinfestation of Sewers.
In conjunction with the Borough Engineer's Department, sewer treatment was
carried out on two occasions during the year. Details were as follow :—