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Ten visits were made by the public health inspectors to the houses of these
outworkers and conditions were found to be satisfactory.
RAG FLOCK AND OTHER FILLING MATERIALS
The purpose of the Rag Flock and Other Filling Materials Act, 1951, and the
Rag Flock and Other Filling Materials Regulations, 1961 and 1965, is to secure the
use of clean filling materials in upholstered articles and other articles which are
stuffed or lined.
Local authorities are required to register premises where filling materials are
used for upholstering, the stuffing or lining of bedding, toys or baby carriages, other
than upholstering (etc.) in the remaking or reconditioning of any article, or in
connection with railway carriages, road vehicles, ships or aircraft.
At the end of the year, 23 premises were registered to use filling materials.
Thirty-three visits were made to these premises and conditions were found to be
satisfactory.
OFFENSIVE TRADES
Section 107 of the Public Health Act, 1936, defines a list of "offensive trades"
which can only be established with the consent of a local authority. In addition
to the trades listed, a local authority, by Order confirmed by the Minister, may
declare other trades offensive. The business of a dealer in butchers' wastes was
so declared an offensive trade and is the only such premises in the borough. Fourteen
visits were paid to this establishment and conditions were found to be satisfactory.
INSPECTIONS AND COMPLAINTS
The work of the public health inspectors, based on principles of good environmental
hygiene, remains the same: pure water, clean food, clean air, adequate
shelter and the removal of conditions inimical to healthy living.
A total of 55,433 visits, an increase of about 6% over the previous year, was
made to a variety of premises including dwelling houses, business and industrial
premises and places in which food is handled. Many matters were resolved informally
without the necessity of serving notices but arising from defects and shortcomings
found on these visits, 667 informal and 245 statutory notices were served
resulting in repairs and sanitary improvements being carried out. Legal proceedings
were instituted in nine instances resulting in fines of £10 with £29 8s. Od. costs.
Requests and complaints on a wide range of matters numbered 5,088. Of
this total, 1,806 were notifications of blocked or defective drains. Although the
responsibility rests with owners to clear and repair drains, the Council provides a
free service designed to eliminate in the shortest possible time what may constitute
a hazard to public health because owners often experience difficulty in obtaining
trade labour at short notice.
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