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work to ensure compliance with the accepted standards.
Work in this field is often rendered difficult because the inspected
has to deal with people who have little or no knowledge of English
and whose social background is very much different from that of
this country. A further complication is the fact that the occupants
of the house change frequently.
It can be said that frequent visits often carried out outside
normal working hours, and constant vigil have averted the worst evils
associated with multiple lettings and in fact that those in Barking
may be considered of a reasonable standard.
An occupant of one house in which eight people lived was discovered
to be suffering from pulmonary tuberculosis and it was considered
desirable to submit the other occupants to x ray examination.
With some difficulty owing to differing working hours the examinations
were carried out one evening, transport to and from the hospital
being provided by the public health inspectors.
3. Caravans
25 caravans belonging to travelling showmen were given permission
by the owners of land adjoining the By Pass to park there
for the winter 1962/63. The site was quite unsuitable for the purpose
having no water supply, no means of disposal for waste water, no
proper roads, no sanitary accommodation and no fire prevention
equipment. Neither had planning permission been sought to use
the land for the purpose. In addition vans were parked much too close
together for safety.
As members of the Showmen's Guild the caravan dwellers were
exempt from the provisions relating to the licensing of land for
caravan sites. It would be reasonable to expect however that any
organisation enjoying such a privilege would take steps to ensure
that its members are aware of their responsibility not to occupy a
site in such a way as to make it a health hazard, a fire hazard, and
aesthetically distasteful.
As a result of interventions by the Council the site was vacated
in March 1963 and has not been re-occupied since.
4. Water Supply to Dwellings
During the very severe weather at the beginning of the year
many dwellings were without an internal supply of water owing to
burst or frozen pipes. There were over two hundred bursts in Council
houses alone, apart from many in privately owned property. Many
householders had to rely on supplies from a stand-pipe tank vehicle
operated by the South Essex Waterworks Company.
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