View report page

19
Routine enquiries are made with regard to unregistered homes.
No difficulties in regard to supervision arose.
5. Essex County Council Act.—No new licence to practise
chiropody was granted by your Council.
C—SANITARY CIRCUMSTANCES OF THE AREA
Water.—The authority responsible is the Metropolitan Water
Board. Routine tests are carried out by the Board, and the usual
practice was continued of notifying the Board of all cases of actual
or suspected enteric fever. The Board then arranges special tests
at the addresses concerned. All were negative in 1947.
All dwelling houses in the area are supplied direct with water.
Flooding of the Lee Bridge Works of the Metropolitan Water
Board:—At 5.30 a.m. on 15th March, 1947, the Lee Bridge Works
of the Metropolitan Water Board became flooded by the overflow
of the River Lea and it became evident that some polluted water had
entered the distribution system. As soon as the position became
known on the Saturday afternoon measures were taken to supplement
the somewhat inadequate warnings issued over the weekend by the
B.B.C. Some 20,000 leaflets were printed in regard to the emergency
flushing of water closets and the disposal of household sewage through
household manholes or by digging trenches. These were circulated
through schools and by qther means on 17th March, and medical
practitioners were advised as to the" possibility of cases of typhoid
fever.
A check was made by the Sanitary Inspectors into the flushing
of water closets at cinemas and factories, and ex-civil defence chemical
closets were supplied to the schools.
The Metropolitan Water Board organised an excellent service
of tankers, but in the early days there were no adequate arrangements
to notify householders when the water carts were in the streets.
Special supplies were arranged for hospitals and Day Nurseries,
etc. The supply to the Maternity Hospital was well arranged by
the Borough Engineer and Surveyor by water carts supplied from the
Town Hall artesian well.
The supply was not fully restored for some ten days, and it is
very gratifying to report that no case of typhoid fever or other
intestinal disease due to contamination of water was notified.