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125
Underground Sleeping Rooms. The Medical Officer of
Health reported that during the year eight underground rooms
were being illegally used for sleeping purposes. Closing
orders were made by the Council in all cases.
Action taken under the Housing Acts, 1909 and 1919. Under
these Housing Acts the Council have power to secure the closing
of underground rooms illegally occupied as sleeping places,
to make closing and demolition orders and to serve notices
on the owners calling on them to render houses fit for human
habitation, and in default have the power to do the work
themselves and recover the cost from the owners.
During the year under review eight underground rooms were
the subject of representations and closing orders were made
forbidding the use of them for sleeping purposes. In addition,
six other representations were made by your Medical Officer
of Health and in three of the cases closing orders, which were
subsequently followed by demolition orders, were made. In
one case the closing order was not made until the 25th
January, 1925, and so it is shown in the table as pending at
the end of the year. In the other three cases notices under
Section 28 of the Housing, Town Planning, etc., Act, 1919,
were served. The work was completed in all three cases, in
two instances by the owners and in one case by the Council.
In tabular form is shewn below the details relating to each
representation.