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47
Hairdressers and barbers
The provisions made under Section 21 of the Greater London
(General Powers) Act, 1967, state that no person may carry on
a business as a hairdresser or barber at any premises unless he
is registered in respect of those premises by the Borough
Council; 235 such premises are registered with this Authority,
A total of 197 visits were made by technical assistants
during the year in connection with the work of registration and
the enforcement of existing bye-laws which lay down standards
of cleanliness in hairdressers' establishments,
In view of the increase in the use of wigs, hairdressers and
wigmakers were warned of the dangers of using benzine, cartx>n
tetrachloride and trichloroethylene for cleaning wigs, except in
the open air or in well-ventilated rooms,
The Prevention of Damage by Pests Act, 1949
This Act gives the Council power to require steps to be taken
to eradicate and, where possible, to prevent infestation by rats
and mice, These duties are carried out by the pest control
officer assisted by four rodent operatives,
All infestations coming to light, whether by complaint or
otherwise, are systematically investigated and appropriate action
taken, Where the cause of the trouble is obviously a defective
drain or other structural defect in the building, the owner is
called upon to effect the necessary repairs, This aspect of the
work involves close co-operation between the rodent control
staff and the public health inspectors,
During the year, 3,947 complaints of infestation were received
in respect of which a total of 10,050 visits were made by the
staff, Again, more than two-thirds of these complaints related to
the presence of mice, whereas those concerning rats have again
decreased, The increase in mice complaints is disturbing and
various methods, including the old-fashioned mouse trap, have
been used,
In addition to the work of rodent control, the pest control
officer continued to carry out evening " forays" on pigeons
roosting under railway bridges in the Borough, The bridges are a
favourite breeding ground and by attacking the pigeons at their
roosting sites profitable results have been obtained, over 1,000
birds and eggs being taken during the year,