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have opened up the intercepting trap rodding-arms and inserted wire balloons in lieu of stoppers.
The older post-war estates owned by the Borough Council have been surveyed, and during next
year the scheme will be extended to these properties wherever suitable.
Rodent Control.
As a result of 664 complaints, 540 premises were disinfested during the year. These infestations
comprised 35 ship rat, 216 common rat and 289 mice. Common rat infestations show an increase of
16 per cent. over last year whereas ship rat and mice infestations were about the same.
" Block surveys " were continued on a limited scale, particular attention being paid to known
" black spots." During the year, 13 blocks involving 938 premises were surveyed.
Most owners and occupiers of premises concerned continued to co-operate with the Council but
during the year, 55 informal and 8 statutory notices were served. Only 2 notices were served under
The Prevention of Damage by Pests Act, 1949.
Adverse weather conditions again prevented routine sewer baiting in January, and owing to labour
and transport difficulties only sewers north of Marylebone Road were baited during July. Other
authorities apparently had similar experiences and in an effort to avoid these and other difficulties
it has been arranged, through the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food, for sewer treatments
to be changed from January and July to April and October.
A summary of the work is shown in Table 9, page 33.
Disinfestation.
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, 366 rooms were disinfested, including twenty-one requisitioned premises.
Altogether 207 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 1956 the furniture of 36 families, of whom 31 were being rehoused, was
treated by this method. In addition, 1,620 verminous articles of bedding were disinfested by steam
at the Council's premises in Lisson Grove.
Verminous Persons.
The Council's Cleansing Station in Lisson Grove dealt with 795 verminous persons: adults 550
(men 483, women 67) ; children 245 (boys 47, girls 198).
Shelter.
It was not necessary during the year to make use of the shelter accommodation provided at No. 217,
Lisson Grove, under section 195 (4) of the Public Health (London) Act, 1936, for families temporarily
dispossessed of their homes. The room set aside for this purpose was, however, utilised for other
public health work.
Air Pollution.
Last year's intensive Clean Air Campaign was followed by further action, wherever possible, on
the lines indicated in the Annual Report for 1955 and by preparations to implement with a minimum
of delay the provisions of the Clean Air Act when it came into force.
Co-operation with the Department of Scientific and Industrial Research in the measurement of
local air pollution was continued. Measurements of solid deposited matter are taken monthly from
gauges sited at the Town Hall and at Nuffield Lodge and of sulphur dioxide concentrations from lead
peroxide apparatus at the same two stations and at a site at the northern end of Edgware Road by
Orchardson Street. Volumetric apparatus, from which daily readings of smoke and sulphur dioxide
concentrations are taken, is installed at the Town Hall and at the old people's home in Greville Place.
Summaries of the readings from these various sets of apparatus which for some years have been
maintained by the Council and from a deposit gauge maintained by the Department of Scientific
and Industrial Research at Devonshire Street are given in Table 10 on page 34. The figures for deposited
matter show very little change from last year but there was a slight reduction of smoke, as measured
volumetrically, and a slight increase in sulphur dioxide compared with 1955. It will be noted that the