View report page

11
Combined Drainage.
Nine orders under seal for combined drainage were issued.
Ventilation of Sewers.
In the Annual Reports for 1953 and 1954, reference was made to the interim report of the working
party representatives of the London County Council and the Metropolitan Boroughs' Standing Joint
Committee on the causes of complaints of offensive smells from sewers and on probable ways to improve
conditions. It was considered that adequate ventilation, preferably by a greater number of small
ventilators rather than by a few large ones, was needed to disperse the concentrations of gases which
are mainly responsible. It was suggested that this ventilation should be provided by way of the soil
pipes of the drainage systems of suitable premises and as an experiment the intercepting chambers
of the drains of some County Council and Borough Council properties in other districts were slightly
altered for this purpose. No official information has been received of the results of this experiment
although it is understood that the method is being continued and extended to include new County
Council and municipal building works. The St. Marylebone Borough Council had hoped that it might
be possible to ventilate selected lines of sewers in which there were known to be high concentrations
of gases, by obtaining the co-operation of the owners of suitably sited premises draining into those
sewers. Unfortunately, the necessary co-operation could not always be obtained so it has not been
possible to proceed with this scheme. However, a survey was made of the London County Council
flats and of premises owned or controlled by the Borough Council with a view to carrying out the basic
suggestion of the County Council. It is intended to remove the stoppers of the intercepting traps and
replace them with iron gratings at 81 suitable new or modern buildings.
A meeting was held between the County Council's Chief Engineer and officers of the Borough Council,
at which the ventilation of certain sewers was examined from both local and general view-points in
an attempt to arrange a basis for wider co-operation but no further lead has yet been given by the
County Council in respect of "sewer line" ventilation. It appears that the main difficulty is to ventilate,
without causing nuisance, the deep level sewers which have no drain or branch sewers connections for
very long distances.
Rodent Control.
During the year, 670 complaints were received and there were 517 infestations (ship rat 36,
common rat 185, and mice 296). Infestation by the ship rat therefore fell by approximately two-thirds
as compared with the previous year, while the incidence of the common rat and of mice was about
the same. The source of common rat infestations is most often traced to some defect in the drainage
system of premises in the vicinity which this year necessitated the service of 64 intimation and 7
statutory notices. The Council's staff undertook treatment at 517 premises. The scheme of block
treatment commenced in 1949 was continued and 31 blocks involving 1,908 premises were dealt with.
The original programme, which covered the whole of the Borough south of St. John's Wood Road,
has now been completed. This brought to light many unsuspected infestations which, had they not
been discovered early, would have become major problems. Although the work entailed is tedious
and non-spectacular it has been most valuable and the number of rats in the Borough has now reached
a relatively low level. It could not have succeeded, however, without the co-operation of the public
and of the business community in the Borough. For the most part, owners and occupiers have willingly
carried out rat-proofing work at their premises and have remedied defects and it was not necessary
to take any formal action under the Prevention of Damage by Pests Act, 1949, in this regard. Known
"black spots" will be given renewed attention and a further block survey programme has commenced.
Owing to severe weather conditions the routine sewer baiting which should have taken place in
January was cancelled but special treatment of sewers adjoining the Regent's Park area was carried
out. This work was undertaken at the special request of the Ministry of Agriculture and Fisheries,
who made a similar request to St. Pancras Borough Council with the object of securing a joint effort.
Dlsinfestatlon.
To rid dwelling houses of bugs, a spray of Kerosene with 5 per cent. D.D.T. and 0.1 per cent.
pyrethrims is applied either by hand or under pressure from a motor compressor, according to the
circumstances. This treatment is also given for flea and similar infestations which occur from time
to time. During the year, 441 rooms were disinfested, including ten municipal flats and forty-five
requisitioned premises. Altogether 122 requisitioned premises were inspected for vermin on becoming
vacant.
Furniture, more particularly that of people removing to fresh accommodation, is dealt with by
hydrocyanic acid gas in specially constructed vans. The Council continued to have this work done
by a contractor and during 1955 the furniture of 70 families, of whom 63 were being rehoused, was
treated by this method. In addition, 3,443 verminous articles of bedding were disinfested by steam
at the Council's premises in Lisson Grove,