View report page

ATMOSPHERIC POLLUTION
The Dark Smoke (Permitted Periods) Regulations, 1958 provide the maximum
periods for the emission of dark smoke from industrial plants; black smoke is limited
to not more than 2 minutes in the aggregate in any period of 30 minutes. 49 observations
were made of the chimneys of industrial premises in the Borough; statutory action
was not needed during the year.
Under the provisions of the Clean Air Act, 1956, Section 16, a statutory notice in
respect of a nuisance from the burning of factory rubbish was served and complied with.
The Council continue to operate at the Civic Centre and in the vicinity of Valence
House instruments for the daily and monthly measurement of air pollution. The
national organisation sponsored by the Department of Scientific and Industrial Research
dealing with the investigation of atmospheric pollution have decided to change the
existing scheme of measurement of pollution. Throughout the country 100 towns
have been selected at random where measurements will be made daily at possibly five
different sites including residential, industrial and commercial areas and a smoke control
area. It is anticipated that the measurements made in these selected towns will provide
a yard stick against which the measurements from individual towns will be examined.
Dagenham has been chosen as one of the 100 towns and the Council have agreed to
co-operate in this work.
Smoke Control Areas
The Council have agreed in principle to include in smoke control areas the whole
Borough as soon as possible and in any case in not more than 10 years; they have been
represented at the Conference of Local Authorities covering the East London area.
The Council's first smoke control area (the first in Metropolitan Essex) operated
from the 1st September, 1959; the area is at Marks Gate and comprises about 1,000
new Council houses. The second smoke control area includes nearly 4,000 houses
(mostly owned by the London County Council) and covers the South West corner of the
Borough; the date of operation is 1st November, 1961. The survey of the third area
has been commenced; it includes about 3,000 houses (mostly owned by the London
County Council) and is bounded on the South by the District Railway, on the East by
Heathway and Halbutt Street, on the North by Wood Lane and on the West by the
Barking boundary.
In the survey all premises are inspected. At the houses the inspector delivers a
letter informing the tenants that he will be calling the following day (indicating either
morning or afternoon) and asking the tenant to be at home if possible. There has been
good co-operation but the work has entailed a great number of evening visits. The
extent of the work involved is indicated in that during the year 8,697 visits to premises
have been paid by the inspectors in connection with the surveys.
23