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At private motor garages, however, the petroleum is kept
by motor car owners under the Regulations of the Secretary of
State as to petroleum which is being used in light locomotives,
such premises rarely coming under the purview of the London
County Council. It is obvious that in a district such as this,
where there are very many private motor garages, the total
quantity of petroleum spirit discharged into the sewers is likely
to be a serious matter. Accordingly, in all cases where plans
have come before this Department for the drainage or re-drainage
of premises containing a motor garage, the suggestions of the
Public Control Committee of the London County Council have
been as far as possible enforced.
On the matter coming prominently before the Public Health
Committee, as a result of the accident alluded to above, a
resolution was passed that a circular letter should be sent to the
whole of the known motor garages in the Borough, asking them
to take means to prevent the discharge of waste petrol into the
sewers. Your Medical Officer of Health, however, thought it
was not quite a thorough method of procedure to leave it to each
individual owner to work out his own salvation in this difficult
matter, and accordingly enquiries were made in a number of
likely quarters, with a view to discovering some practicable
method. Obviously the provision of any reasonable number of
intercepting chambers will not meet the case, for it is perfectly
possible that in course of time these will become entirely filled
with petrol, and the excess of petrol will be washed over into the
sewers. Means must be adopted for the- frequent and regular
skimming of the petrol contained in these interceptors, and for
its disposal otherwise than by discharge into the sewers.
The difficulty was eventually solved, one of my
correspondents making a reasonably practical suggestion, and a
circular letter showing the method of procedure which was
strongly recommended, has been sent to all motor garages in
the Borough. A copy is given herewith.
Gentlemen,
Discharge oe Petrol into Sewers.
The Council of this Borough have recently had their
attention drawn to the great danger to life caused by the
discharge into the public sewers of petroleum, or of some
residue from petroleum or other liquid liable to give off inflammable
vapour. Explosions have occurred in sewers in
which men were working, and as a result one man employed
by this Council was most seriously injured.