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business premises amounting to £4,267. Business premises under regular servicing contract with
the Council numbered 247 at the end of the year.
Statistics are given on page 114.
SEWERAGE
The arrangement in the area for sewerage and sewage disposal are satisfactory. The planned
programme of reconstruction of defective sewers is proceeding.
ARTIFICIAL LIGHTING OF COMMON STAIRCASES - BYELAWS
Bye laws made under the London County Council (General Powers) Act 1956 by the former Boroughs
of Bethnal Green, Poplar and Stepney for adequate artificial lighting of common staircases in
tenement houses and flats differed from each other in some minor respects, but the major difference
related to the hours during which the staircases should be artificially lit. The Bethnal Green
and Poplar Bye laws required staircase lighting from half an hour before sunset until midnight
and for one hour before sunrise during months October to March inclusive, whereas the Stepney
Council bye laws required staircases in its area to be lit from half an hour before sunset until
sunrise throughout the year.
New bye laws drafted for the borough as a whole on the lines of the Stepney bye laws were
submitted to the Ministry of Housing and Local Government which gave preliminary approval at the
end of the year
SWIMMING BATHS
The water in the seven public swimming baths in the borough and in the bath at the Council's
Horn church Children's Home is sampled at monthly intervals by the Scientific Department of the
Greater London Council on this Council's behalf. A total of 107 samples were taken during the
year.
Two samples were found to be in an unsatisfactory condition, due to too high free chlorine
content.
In addition 51 samples were taken from nine school swimming baths in the borough, 6 samples
being unsatisfactory.
VACANT SITES
Efforts to get sites cleared of rubbish and fenced continue to show good results. Of the 279
sites which came to notice during the year 211 were cleared of rubbish and fenced.
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