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London County Council (General Powers) Act, 1953
Section 43 of the above Act states that, on receipt of a report from
the medical officer of health or a sanitary inspector that any aged person
within their district is verminous or is for any other reason in need of
cleansing in order to prevent injury or the danger of injury and is so
enfeebled that he is unable to avail himself of any facilities for cleansing
himself provided by the authority or to cleanse himself properly, the
sanitary authority may on application or with the consent of that
person (but not otherwise) cause him to be cleansed free of charge at
the place where he resides or at any other suitable place. The authority
is enabled to make such arrangements and provide any apparatus
required to exercise these powers.
6 persons received treatment during the year.
Anti-fly and anti-mosquito campaign
The campaign was held from May 1 to September 30, and Mr.
Craven, the deputy senior inspector, who is in charge of this anti-pest
work, reports:—"327 sites, grass' verges and rear entrances were
visited on two occasions each and necessary treatment carried out by
spraying or the use of powder. Material collected or destroyed on the
sites consisted of 38 mattresses and a large quantity of miscellaneous
articles such as carpets, linoleum, furniture and rags. Most of this
rubbish was taken to the Molesworth Street depot for removal with the
household refuse because of the difficulty of destroying it on the site
when wet. On a few occasions, however, when the material was reasonably
dry it was destroyed by burning".
The cooperation of the Borough Engineer's department was again
available for the treatment of dustbins with a powder supplied by the
health department. Approximately 4½ tons of powder containing
gammexane was applied to dustbins at the time of refuse collection.
This could well be increased with advantage. One stable and two
piggeries and certain plots of land known to be particularly bad as rubbish
tips were treated as special sites and visited regularly, special
attention being paid to the manure receptacles at the stable and piggeries.
Throughout the campaign frequent visits were paid to Lewisham
Hospital to spray the refuse containers and the site of the kitchen waste
bins. Spraying of the dustchutes and openings at both this Council's
and the LCC's blocks of flats was carried out. Similar treatment was
given in one block of privately owned flats. The caretakers of this
Council's flats were provided with sprayers, insecticide liquid and
powder, for use in connection with the containers at the base of the chutes,
particularly following emptying, and for the sites of any waste bins.