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However, owing to vacancies on the existing establishment of Public Health Inspectors,
it has not been possible to make any substantial progress on a detailed survey, although
a limited number of inspections have been carried out.
A total of 551 inspections were made under the Food Hygiene Regulations, 91 notices
were served in connection with contraventions, and in one case it was necessary to
institute legal proceedings against the proprietor of a cafe for failure to maintain
the premises in a clean and satisfactory condition.
Pood hygiene inspections included visits to out-door events such as Easter, Whitsun
and August Fairs, and the August Cricket Festival at the Leyton Sports Ground. Thirtythree
complaints regarding foodstuffs were investigated and reports submitted to the
Public Health Committee.
A wide variety of foodstuffs were implicated, i.e. milk, bread, cakes, tinned meat
goods and confectionery. The reason for the complaint was either the presence of foreign
matter, or the appearance of mould growth on the food, indicating lack of supervision
or care at retail premises. A total of 140 samples of food and drugs were taken for
submission to the public analyst for chemical examination, and 10 bacteriological samples
were examined by the public health laboratories. The bacteriological samples comprised
routine checks of milk and ice cream.
Four unsatisfactory chemical samples were reported during the year, and three of
these concerned proprietary canned foods which in the opinion of the public analyst
were low in their meat content. Although there was no statutory standard for the
commodities concerned, representations were made by the Public Health Committee to the
manufacturers, who agreed to amend the descriptions on the lables. The Committee also
authorised legal proceedings in respect of four of the food complaints and dealt with
the remaining 29 by warning letters.
Soon after the Clean Air Act came into operation the Council approved a phased
programme for the establishment of 'Smokeless Zones,' which would ultimately bring the
whole of the Borough under smoke control. This programme continues to progress satisfactorily;
four areas have been declared, affecting some 9,000 dwelling houses and 400odd
industrial and commercial premises.
The Clean Air Act is often the subject of criticism for its failure to come to
grips with the problem of sulphur dioxide gas, a harmful constituent of the combustion
products stemming from chimneys and motor exhausts. "Why bother to check the visible
smoke when the real villain is slipping through the net?" goes the argument. Without
denying the harmfulness of this gas, the pollutants which are dealt with by the Act are
well worth removing in the interests of health and amenity. While there is no single
comprehensive panacea for entirely eliminating sulphur dioxide from the atmosphere,
there are numerous ways in which its emission can be minimised or ameliorated. These
include the installation of more efficient boiler installations and heating systems and
the erection of high chimneys, and these are factors which should be borne in mind in
planning all new or re-development areas.
The success of a Smoke Control Order depends to a large extent on the co-operation
of people who live or work in the area, and to this end considerable time and effort
has been spent in health education. Static and mobile exhibitions dealing with all
aspects of smoke control, combined with an advice bureau, were staged at various parts
of the Borough on a number of occasions.
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