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Rodent Control
Arrangements for the destruction of rats and mice continued as
for previous years with the employment of a full-time rodent operative.
The number of complaints received during 1957 was 420, an
increase of 49 over the figure for 1956 and 10 over the 1955 figure.
The following table gives details of surface treatments:—
Number of inspections made by the Public Health Inspectors 220
Complaints received 420
Revisits to Premises 305
Visits to adjacent premises 122
Total premises visited 847
Number of baiting points 3666
Two full sewer treatments of 1,400 manholes were carried out
during the year. The first treatment using bread rusk as bait base and
arsenic as poison resulted in 393 complete prebait takes and 105
partial takes. The scheme of baiting used was prebait on the 1st and
3rd days with poison on the 5th day.
For the second treatment carried out at the end of the year and
overlapping into 1958, warfarin with preservative (paranitrophenol)
was used. 416 complete takes and 22 partial takes were recorded.
The Borough Engineer and Surveyor provided the labour for the
sewer treatments.
The figures seem to indicate that the rat population in the sewers
is now fairly constant and the twice yearly treatments whilst not
reducing the number to any large extent, at least serve the purpose
of preventing any increase.
Essex County Council Act, 1933, Section 109
Six applications were received during the year seeking permission
to keep caravans on a site known as "Riggs Retreat," Woodford, at a
site used for part of the year for the storage of a showman's outfit.
Permission was granted in each case. One further application was
received and permission granted. In this latter case the use of the
caravan was temporary and was removed when its owner took possession
of a maisonette later in the year.
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