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84
PREVENTION OF DAMAGE BY PESTS ACT, 1949.
This Act is mainly concerned with the destruction of rats and
mice and it places a duty on the occupier of any premises to report
to the Local Authority any infestation by such rodents. Three
ratcatchers, officially designated rodent operatives, are employed
to deal with such complaints.
During the year, 1,397 private dwellings were inspected
following complaints and in 858 instances infestation was confirmed.
The rodent operatives dealt with 771 of these infestations
and the occupiers themselves, after being advised, dealt with 58.
In 32 instances defective drainage was permitting the egress of
rats from the sewers—appropriate action was taken to have the
drains repaired and the adjacent sewers treated. 139 business
premises were found to be infested with rats or mice and these
were all disinfested during the year. Corporation owned premises
including sewage works, refuse tips, depots, etc., are periodically
inspected for the presence of rodents and if infested then action is
taken by the department to eradicate the pests. 45 infestations at
such premises were dealt with during the year. Included in the
Corporation's ownership are the sewers of the Borough and for
some years now these have been systematically treated for rat
infestation and the results have shown a steady decline in the rat
population over the years.
The Ministry of Agriculture and Fisheries through their pest
control branch are constantly experimenting in the war against
rodents and other pests, and are ready to pass on to Local
Authorities any new findings which will be helpful in this essential
public health function.
FOOD SUPPLY.
The supervision and inspection of the food supplies is carried
out by the Sanitary Inspectors who are all qualified in food
inspection.
The following table shows the distribution of trades among
the 3,317 premises in the Borough at which food is known to be
sold, manufactured or stored:—