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GENERAL SANITATION
Factories and Workplaces
The number of inspections made to premises registered under the
Factories Act, 1961 was 484. Defects relating to sanitary conveniences,
ventilation and other sanitary matters were dealt with on 13 premises.
The table on page 22 gives details of the action taken during the year.
Watercourses
Regular inspections were made of the watercourses in the district,
particularly of the River Wandle, Beverley Brook and Pyl Brook to
detect pollutions. Details of pollutions entering from the Council's
surface water sewers were notified from time-to-time by the Surrey
County Council and investigated. The cause was usually discharges of
oil in factory yards, thoughtlessly or by accident, and also wrongful
connection of new sink waste pipes on first floors of houses to rainwater
hopper heads. They were all put right.
Rats and Mice.
308 complaints of infestation were received during the year and
as a result of inspection of 1,820 premises, 357 were found to be infested.
This is a greater proportion than in 1962 when 258 infestations were
found on 2,034 premises. The control methods recommended by the
Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food were followed in every case,
mostly by the use of warfarin although some other poison baits were
used on occasion.
A 10% test baiting of the Council's soil sewers was made in October
and 137 manholes were included. Of this total, 11 manholes showed a
'take' and a poison treatment was carried out immediately afterwards
using sodium fluoroacetamide (1,080) for which a firm of specialists was
engaged.
The Rodent Control service is free to occupiers of domestic property
but a charge is made for work on business premises. The total income
in the financial year 1963/4 from this source was £286. 8s. Od. including
the sum of £154. which is paid annually by four firms under contract.
Both these amounts are higher than in 1962 but further expansion of
the service to commercial concerns is restricted only by the labour at my
disposal, the two rodent operators being fully engaged with present commitments.
Pigeons.
The Council is empowered by Section 74 of the Public Health Act
1961 to take steps to reduce the number of pigeons in the area. Nuisances
from these birds were the subject of a number of complaints and various
experiments were carried out, including netting and trapping, to ascertain
the best method of catching them. This work can be very time-consuming
and it is hampered by the likelihood of adverse public reaction if precautions
are not taken and also by the prediliction of some people to lay
out food for the birds.
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