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that any articles in any house or part thereof in that district are in such
a filthy, dangerous or unwholesome condition that health is affected or
endangered thereby or that the cleansing or purifying or destroying of
any such articles is requisite to prevent risk of or to check infectious
disease the sanitary authority may cause any such articles to be at their
own expense cleansed or purified or they may destroy the same.
(2) If any owner suffer any unnecessary damage the sanitary
authority shall compensate him for the same and the sanitary authority
shall also reasonably compensate the owner for any articles destroyed.
Houses infested with vermin to be cleansed.
20.—(1) Where on the certificate of the medical officer of health of
any sanitary district it appears to the sanitary authority of that district
that any house or part thereof in that district is infested with vermin
such sanitary authority shall give notice in writing to the owner or
occupier of such house or part thereof requiring him within a period to
be specified in such notice to cleanse such house or the portion thereof
specified in the notice and if so required in the notice to remove the
wall paper from the walls of such house or the part thereof specified in
the notice and to take such other steps for the purpose of destroying and
removing vermin as the case may require.
(2) If the person to whom such notice is given fails to comply
therewith within the time therein specified he shall be liable on summary
conviction to a fine not exceeding ten shillings for every day during
which he makes default in complying with the requirements of such
notice and the sanitary authority may if they think fit at any time after
the expiration of the period specified in the notice themselves do any
work required by the notice to be done and all reasonable costs and
expenses incurred by the sanitary authority in so doing shall (subject as
herein-after provided) be recoverable summarily as a civil debt from the
person making the default.
(3) Upon any proceedings under this section the court may inquire
as to whether any requirement contained in any notice given or any work
done by the sanitary authority was reasonable and as to whether the
costs and expenses incurred by the sanitary authority in doing such
work or any part thereof ought to be borne wholly or in part by the
person to whom the notice was given and the court may make such
order concerning such costs and expenses or their apportionment as
appears to the court to be just and equitable under the circumstances of
the case.