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TO THE MAYOR, ALDERMEN AND COUNCILLORS OF THE
METROPOLITAN BOROUGH OF POPLAR
Mr. Mayor, Ladies and Gentlemen,
I have the honour to submit the Annual Report on the health and sanitary
circumstances of the Borough during the year 1956.
The general standard of health of the inhabitants of the Borough has remained
satisfactory but some distress is still being caused by the continued housing
shortage.
Efforts have been made over the years to secure improvements in the home
living conditions but in Poplar the age of so many of the houses with serious
inherent defects makes it inevitable that such improvements depend largely on
the provision of new and better houses. Another aspect of the housing shortage
has been the uncontrolled trespass by dwellers in tents, vans and sheds on land
cleared as a result of war and housing activities, still vacant owing to delays
in developing the sites. This has created an unexpected problem and a serious
source of nuisance.
The Food and Drugs Act 1955 came into operation on the 1st January, 1956.
It is a consolidating Act and brings together all the previous legislation on
food and drugs without introducing any new law.
The Food Hygiene Regulations, 1955, made under the new Act also came into
operation on 1st January, 1956. They replace and extend the powers contained in
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