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SANITARY CIRCUMSTANCES OF THE AREA
The establishment of public health inspectors remained considerably under strength
throughout the year. This gave rise to many problems as there was a clear need and
demand for a high standard of inspectoral supervision in various fields, including
housing, food premises, general district work, factories and food undertakings.
There were eight student inspectors in various stages of training in the Department.
The number of previous students who have been appointed upon obtaining the qualifying
Diploma has done no more than fill the vacancies arising from retirements and
transfers.
The powers lost on amalgamtion, to which reference was made last year, have not
yet been restored. The lack of authority to repair a drain in default, to execute
works to restore a defective water service and to abate nuisances requiring urgent
attention, has given rise to difficulties during the year and in some cases unfavourable
comment in the press, due to apparent delays, it is hoped that urgent action will be
taken to restore the requisite legislation.
Fifteen new orders and Regulations were referred to the public health inspectors
for action and enforcement, the most notable being the Food Hygiene (Markets, Stalls an<
Delivery Vehicles) Regulations, 1966. which became operative on the 1st January, 1967.
These regulations added considerably to the volume of work performed by the inspectors.
Vacant sites and derelict buildings continued to be troublesome due to the
depositing of refuse and lack of fencing. The provision and maintenance of fencing
should become a standard requirement in every case. The depositing of refuse encourage
rodent infestation and many such complaints were dealt with.
Derelict buildings were used for living and other purposes by vagrants and several
fires occurred as the result of their activities. There was also a danger of children
being trapped by fire in some of these buildings. Many of these buildings had been
sealed and resealed either by bricking up or covering the openings with corrugated
iron, only to be re-opened by trespassers in many instances.
Attention was also given to the need for filling in or grubbing up disused drains
in order to prevent infestation or reinfestation by rodents. Extreme difficulty was
experienced where unsealed disused drains still exist underneath the building of a
redeveloped site.
The number of prosecutions taken under the Public Health Act increased during the
year.
The public were more concious of the nuisance caused by noise and complaints were
received arising from the use of machinery, road drilling, compressors, refrigerating
plant, transport and various social clubs. Each case was investigated and often
incurred observations being kept after normal working hours, including night and weekend
visits. In one case a prosecution was taken under the Noise Abatement Act, 1960,
when the Court held that the Company had satisfactorily abated the nuisance and
dismissed the summons.
Summary of Work done by District Public Health Inspectors
(i) inspections
Houses/flats inspected under Public Health (London) Act, 1936
and Public Health Acts 1936 - 61 6,434
Separate lettings 9,979
Revisits Houses /flats 15,811
Separate lettings 24,155
(ii) Other inspections and visits
Miscellaneous 3,356
Prevention of Damage by Pests Act, 1949 185
Infectious Diseases 261
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