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81
Environmental Health
Gypsies and other itinerants
For several years there has been serious problems with itinerants parking on roadside verges
and on plots of unused land. In an effort to solve this problem the Council provided a temporary site
at the corner of Horton Road and Ironbridge Road, Yiewsley.
The site was provided with a mains water supply, W.C.'s and washing facilities and plots for
15 caravans. The ground was covered with reject stone and hoggin and although not by any means
up to the standard of a permanent site it was a tremendous improvement on the conditions previously
enjoyed by itinerants. Nevertheless, it was necessary to close the site in July 1969 because of the
appalling conditions created by the occupants.
INSPECTION AND SUPERVISION OF FOOD
Milk
The bulk of the milk consumed in the Borough is heat treated, that is pasteurised, sterilised or
Ultra Heat Treated, a large proportion of which is treated within this Borough. Untreated milk is
supplied from 2 farms situated outside the Borough, in one case supply being direct to a Factory
Canteen, and in the other by way of a small retail round.
Milk and Dairies (General) Regulations 1959
Milk (Special Designation) Regulations
The Council, as a food and drugs authority, are responsible for licensing the processing dairies
and also for licensing dealers to use the various special designations. These licenses are for 5 year
periods, the current period expiring on the 31st December, 1970. Premises from which milk is sold
are also registered. Producers licenses in respect of milk sold direct from the farm are granted by the
Ministry of Agriculture Fisheries and Food.
The following are the details of the premises registered or licensed in the Borough:—
Registered Milk Distributors 140
Registered Dairies 2
Licences to use Special Designations:
(a) Pasteurised 90
(b) Sterilised 47
(c) Ultra-heat treated 28
(d) Untreated 16
Dealer's Licence (Pasteurised) 2
Milk Sampling
Samples taken from processing dairies, roundsmen, vending machines, catering premises (churns,
disposable packs and dispensers) and from farms are sent to the Laboratory and submitted for the
following tests:—
Phosphatase Test for pasteurised milk, Methylene Blue Test for untreated and pasteurised
milk, Turbidity Test for sterilised milk, Colony Count for ultra heat treated milk, and the milk ring
test/biological examination for presence of Brucella abortus in untreated milk.
These tests are carried out by the Public Health Laboratory Service who also carry out informal
examination to detect presence of antibiotics in milk (the T.T.C. test). The chemical examination
of milk is referred to elsewhere in this report.
Two failures of the Methylene Blue Test were recorded for milk supplied through refrigerated
dispensers. These dispensers require thorough and regular cleaning and the results indicated that
proper attention was not being given to this operation. These units were subsequently replaced with
disposable milk packs which are now available from the major dairies. Twenty-two samples taken
from these disposable packs were all found to be satisfactory.