London's Pulse: Medical Officer of Health reports 1848-1972

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Ealing 1953

[Report of the Medical Officer of Health for Ealing]

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34
Shops Act, 1950.
In co-operation with the Shops Act Inspector, improvements
under Section 38 of the Shops Act, 1950, relating to the health and
comfort of shop workers were carried out in sixty-two instances:
Ventilation improved 3
Heating inproved 20
Sanitary accommodation improved 39
Middlesex County Council Act, 1950, Section 11.
Under this Section six persons were registered during the year
for the sale of food from carts, barrows, other vehicles, etc. There
are now 27 persons registered under this Section for the sale of
food in this Borough.
Prevention of Damage by Pests Act, 1949.
The following is a summary of the work carried out by the
Rodent Operatives acting under the supervision of the Chief
Sanitary Inspector :
Complaints 590
Premises inspected 715
Premises found to be infested with :
1. Rats 503
2. Mice 138
Re-visits to infested premises 2,969
Fees received for treatment £586 7s. Od.
In March 1953, the Council adopted a policy whereby all
private dwelling houses infested with rats or mice were treated
free of charge by the Council's rodent operatives.
The question of the control of rodents in private dwellings
has since 1949 been somewhat hampered by the charge made by the
Council for the destruction of rats and mice in private dwellings.
The Council decided in 1949 that a charge of 10s. should be
made for this service unless the circumstances of the tenants made
it onerous for them to pay it.
It was found in 1952 that over 600 private dwellings were
infested but only 260 of these had been treated by the Council's own
Rodent Operatives. Of these 152 had been charged the 10s. In
approximately 350 cases the occupiers had elected to cany out the
work of rodent destruction themselves. As it was necessary,
however, for the Council's rodent operatives to ensure that the
measures taken by the householders were effective the work of the
rodent operatives was not therefore appreciably lessened.
It was reported to the Public Health Committee in February
that practically all neighbouring authorities had decided to make
no charge and that the Ministry of Agriculture and Fisheries
(Infestation Division) made a grant of approxinately 50% of the