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and pointing out faulty habits and practices as they occur.
Pull advantage is also being taken of the Health Education facilities provided by
the shop windows at 280 High Road, Leyton, E.10. Photographs of displays produced and
contributed by the Public Health Inspectors on various aspects of the environmental
health services under the control of the local Sanitary authority in relation to air
pollution, smoke control, clean food and food hygiene generally, rodent control and
insect pest control, house improvements, etc., appear between pages 33-34.
Judging from the number of enquiries received and requests for technical literature
and health propaganda leaflets, it would appear that this novel way of presenting
a small health exhibition is proving quite successful in stimulating civic interest in
the work of the Department.
Further use is proposed to be made of the shop premises by using not only the
windows but the shop itself for a full scale clean air and smoke control exhibition
as part of the Council's publicity campaign in relation to the establishment of smoke
control areas.
HOUSING AND NUISANCE ABATEMENT
The section of the report entitled "Sanitary circumstances of the area, Part IIStatistics"
contains full details of inspections and notices served under the Housing
and Public Health Acts and relevant legislation; the number of houses classified as a
result of inspections under the Housing Consolidated Regulations, 1925/32; details of
improvements affected to dwelling houses as a result of informal and statutory action,
and information regarding the institution of legal proceedings and the administration
of the Rent Act, 1957.
The work of the Sanitary Department in relation to housing is concerned generally
with the repair, demolition and closure of unfit houses, slum clearance and the issue
of certificates of disrepair. Dwelling houses are inspected as a general routine or on
complaint and statutory action taken as appropriate to secure the remedying of defects
and abatement of nuisances. Of the statutory duties confronting the Local Sanitary
Authority none is more important or indeed more onerous than that of maintaining in a
habitable condition existing housing accommodation; the extent of this responsibility
insofar as it concerns the Public Health Inspectorate may be gathered from the fact
that some 13,327 inspections and re-inspections were made during the year under the
Public Health Act, Housing and Rent Acts, Prevention of Damage by Pests Act and other
legislation; 2,217 complaints regarding unsatisfactory conditions were investigated
and 816 notices specifying works to remedy defects such as dampness, general disrepair,
defective drainage, leaking roofs, etc., were served. In addition, pursuant to the requirements
of Section 3 of the Housing Act, 1957 and the Housing Consolidated Regulations,
1925/32, some 604 houses were surveyed to ascertain their fitness for human
habitation having regard to the standard prescribed by the Act and the possibility or
otherwise of their being included in a slum clearance scheme or dealt with by Demolition
or Closing Order procedure.
Legal proceedings arising from the failure of owners to comply with the requirements
of notices served under the nuisance abatement procedure of the Public Health Act
(12)