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development of such resistance in rats and the use of anticoagulant
poisons is continuing to prove successful in the
treatment of these infestations.
Mr. B. Prichard the Rodent Officer retired in September
having been with the council since 1966 and Mr. G. Luxon
was appointed as Rodent Officer, commencing his duty on
13th September, 1971. Some difficulty was experienced in
staffing the section mainly owing to rather lengthy periods
of illness and frequent changes of staff. Towards the end of
the year however, the staffing position was stabilised and it
is hoped that continuity of operation will be maintained.
It will be observed from table 20 that the inspection of
properties for rodents has dropped from 13,293 in 1970 to
3,850 in 1971. This is mainly due to a reduction in
inspections by the public health inspectors who normally
check food premises for the presence of rodents during their
routine visits.
Other pest control work
During the year 555 complaints were made to the
department concerning insect pests and 33 concerning
pigeons.
A considerable increase was recorded during the year of
complaints made and premises treated for insect pests,
particularly fleas. It is difficult to know the exact reasons
for this but it is probably due partly to the fact that the
council does not now charge for treatment and the residents
of the borough feel more free to call upon the assistance of
this department. Another reason for the increase appears
to be associated with the keeping of pet animals, since a
considerable number of the infestations were associated
with animal fleas. It would be helpful if residents would
periodically treat pet animals for fleas, particularly during
periods of warm weather when those pests are more active.
Identification of various insects infesting premises is
undertaken within the department when possible and the
assistance of the Department of Entomology of the British
Museum (Natural History) is sought in cases of difficulty.
Advice and/or treatment is given in all cases.
Excessive numbers of pigeons again presented a source
of considerable nuisance in places throughout the borough
and 716 pigeons were either trapped or shot during the
year in an effort to cull the flocks to a reasonable level.
Pet Animals Act 1951
19 licences were issued during the year and 45 visits were
carried out by the public health inspectors.
Riding Establishments Act 1964
3 licences were issued and 8 visits paid to the premises.
Animal Boarding Establishments Act 1963
2 licences were issued and 3 visits made to see that the
conditions were complied with by the proprietors.
Rag flock and other filling materials Act
4 premises are registered under this legislation and visits
were paid to ensure compliance.
Hairdressers and barbers
Although 157 premises are registered with this Council
under Greater London Council (General Powers) Act 1967
the public health inspectors were only able to make 46
visits during the year to inspect the conditions within the
establishments.
General district inspections
In addition to the subjects reported on under specific
headings, the environmental health section is involved in
numerous complaints and queries concerning all aspects
of the environmental conditions which arise from a large
community. Summarised below are the details of the
complaints received together with a statistical record of the
visits made.
Complaints received
General disrepair of premises 218
Dampness 145
Overcrowding 16
Defective drainage systems 46
Blocked drainage systems 607
Defective water supply and/or fittings 71
Accumulation of refuse or insufficient or
defective refuse storage facilities 281
Rats and mice 2,212
Pigeons 33
Insect pests 385
Wasps 170
Smoke 146
Noise 88
Unsound food 394
Caravans 25
Miscellaneous 356
Visits made
Smoke control areas 2,270
Other clean air 1,041
Drainage 992
Factories 231
Food premises 1,966
Market stalls delivery vehicles and storage 169
Unsound food 530
Food and drugs sampling 611
Housing general 4,315
Housing - multiple occupation 2,989
Infectious diseases (+ van drivers visits) 654
Rodent control 10,411
Offices shops and railway premises
General inspections 227
Other inspections 527
Accident investigations 79
Rag flock and other filling materials 3
Pet animals establishments 45
Animal boarding establishments 3
Riding establishments 8
Agricultural premises 1
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