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CLEAN AlR ACT, 1956
Certain provisions of this Act, which included powers
enabling Local Authorities to establish smoke control areas have
been In operation since the beginning of 1957.
The remaining provisions of the Act, not already covered by
the Clean Air Act (appointed day) Order 1956, will come into
operation on 1st June, 1958.
After 1st June 1958 it will be an offence liable to a heavy
penalty to emit dark smoke.
This will apply equally to factories, shops and offices,
house chimneys, the funnels of ships and railway engines.
"Dark Smoke" is defined as smoke as dark as or darker than
shade 2 on the Ringelmann Chart.
The Act allows certain defences in the event of proceedings,
for example, if it can be proved that dark smoke was solely due
to lighting up a furnace from cold or to mechanical failure.
In addition to the ban on dark smoke, the Clean Air Act
will require a reduction in emissions of grit and dust from 1st
June, and after that date all new furnaces Installed for burning
pulverised fuel, or more than one ton an hour of other solid fuels,
will have to be equipped with grit and dust arresting plant
approved by the Local Authority.
In the case of other new and existing furnaces, except for
small domestic boilers, failure to take practicable steps to
minimise grit and dust will be an offence.
Smoke Abatement and Atmospheric Pollution. There are but
few industrial chimneys in the Borough.
No emission of dark smoke has been observed except in one
case where dark smoke emitted from a hospital chimney was abated
as a result of informal action, by the conversion of the plant
from coal to oil fuel.
Grit Deposit Measuring Gauges. In conjunction and With the
co-operation of the Department of Scientific and Industrial
Research, the grit deposit measuring gauges have been maintained
and collected monthly for analytical examination of the contents.
The following is a summary of the results obtained-
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