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95
Sanitary Section and Housing.
Mr. J. E. Austin, Chief Sanitary Inspector, has compiled the
section of the report relating to sanitary circumstances, housing
and food inspection.
Sanitary Circumstances.
Water Supply.
During the course of housing inspections 185 instances
of improper storage of water were observed and in all
cases owners were requested to provide a supply tap to the
rising main to the storage cistern. Two houses having an external
water supply were provided with an internal supply. There
still remains a few houses unprovided with an internal supply.
Three prosecutions were instituted during the year for absence
of sufficient water supply.
Drainage and Sewerage.
Instances of flooding from sewers in the Little Ilford Ward
occurred during the year. An increasing number of defects in
drainage were found during the examination of premises for rats.
On investigation it was frequently found necessary to require complete
reconstruction of the drainage. In one case the drainage of
certain premises, found to be discharging into a surface water
sewer, was disconnected and reconnected to the "foul" sewer.
Rivers and Streams.
Complaints were investigated regarding the state of certain
watercourses in the Borough. The watercourses were found in
an exceedingly foul state and appropriate action was taken resulting
in an improvement. An apparent difficulty of emptying and
refilling certain watercourses arises from the fact that the process
would entail refilling with a mild sewage, not from East Ham
Works. The watercourses which are so numerous in the Borough
continued to be a breeding place for mosquitoes and throughout
the summer were subject to spraying with larvicide. A complaint