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CLEAN AIR ACT, 1956.
Smoke Abatement
During the year the Public Health Inspectors made 375 visits concerning smoke emission
by industrial premises, and to give advice on the working of the installations,
It was noticeable during the year that major improvements were effected in several
large factories in the-borough, several plants being converted to oil burning and others
renewing old boiler installations. Generally speaking more attention is being paid to the
types of fuel used. The past efforts by this Department to impress on managements the
importance of correct fuels, efficient stoking and proper maintenance of plant continue to
bear fruit, advisory visits far out numbering visits following complaint.
Smoke Control Areas
The Health Committee at its meeting on 2oth February, 1959> considered the Ministry
of Housing and Local Government Circular 5/59 In which the Minister, after reviewing the
progress made in the two years since 31st December, 1956, expressed the hope that from now
on it would be possible to make faster progress, especially in removing the smoke pall from
the "black areas", (which includes West Ham) where air pollution is worst. He therefore
asked that Councils in black areas should now consider their domestic smoke problems as a
whole, and decide on the smoke control orders that were needed, in what order of priority they
should be made, and in how many years it is likely to finish the job; and that they should
then prepare a phased programme for establishing smoke control areas over the next five years.
This information was required by 30th June, 1959. The Committee requested the officers
concerned to prepare a report for submission to them at a later meeting.
In accordance with this request a joint memorandum on the requirements of the
Circular 5/59 was prepared and submitted to the Health Committee at its meeting on 28th May,
1959. The report contained a suggested programme for establishing smoke control areas over
the whole of the Borough to deal with the domestic smoke problem in fifteen years. At that
time, however, doubts were expressed about the availability of an adequate supply of suitable
smokeless fuel to meet the requirements of consumers, and also that the available coke was
not capable of being used satisfactorily, and the Committee gave instructions for arrangements
to be made for a suitable demonstration, after which the matter would again be considered.
As a result of these instructions, and in co-operation with the Borough Engineer, the
fireplaces in the ground floor rooms at 55, Elmhurst Road were adapted, complete with gas
ignition, by officers of the North Thames Gas Board for the burning of their product "Gloco".
The demonstration took place during the week beginning Monday 17th August, and was visited by
many members of the Council, and members of the Health and Housing Committees in particular.
The Health Committee of the Leyton Council visited on the Monday evening.
In the light of the information gained as a result of this demonstration of the use
of coke as a suitable smokeless fuel for domestic fires, the Health Committee at its meeting
on 3rd September, 1959* further considered the joint memorandum of officers and recommended
to the Council that it be adopted.
Tlae main items of the Report are as follows:-
In order to establish West Ham as a completely smokeless zone so far as domestic
smoke is concerned, it has been very roughly estimated that it would cost the Council £200,000
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