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(b) INDIVIDUAL CARAVANS
At the end of the year there were 45 individual caravans
stationed in the Borough, some on isolated plots and others on
land adjoining houses, most of these caravans being used for
residential purposes.
None of these caravans are licensed under the Public Health
Act, 1936, and they will all be subject to control under the new
Act. It is anticipated that enforcement measures will have to
be taken to secure the removal of the majority of these caravans
that are on unauthorised sites.
(c) GIPSY ENCAMPMENTS
A large number of gipsy caravans visit the district throughout
the year and encamp on unfenced parcels of land, mainly in the
northern end of the Borough.
These nomads cause a considerable nuisance to the householders
in the neighbourhood of the encampments by their
persistent demands for water, their very low standards of hygiene
and the refuse they leave behind when breaking camp.
The Public Health Inspectors have to spend a considerable
amount of time in securing the removal of these people, and in
the majority of cases they have to resort to towing the caravans off
the land with the assistance of tractors from the Parks Department
and the protection of the police. The police have been very helpful
in rendering assistance for this purpose. During the year the Public
Health Inspectors made no less than 355 visits to gipsy
encampments.
The owners of a number of these pieces of land have been
pe.suaded to fence them in or to form other barriers to keep
the gipsies off and the Council have authorised expenditure for
the erection of barriers on pieces of land where the owners are
not known.
It is hoped that by these means the gipsies will eventually be
dissuaded from visiting this town.
(vii) Prevention of Damage by Pests Act 1949
During the year the Public Health Inspectors and Rodent
Operative carried out 3,915 inspections or re-inspections to
premises suspected of being infested with rats or mice, and
disinfestation measures were carried out where necessary.
Further treatment of the sewers for rat disinfestation has been
carried out during the year by the Highways Department.
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