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ENVIRONMENTAL HEALTH SERVICE
The Chief Public Health Inspector, Mr. E.R.H. Hodge, reports as follows.
General Public Health
During the years under review, general inspections have shown only slight variation in
numbers per annum. For example, the number of complaints received averaged approximately 5,500.
Drainage tests 2,500, Infectious Diseases 250, Pood and Drugs Act approximately 3,000 and
reinspections approximately 8,500. The number of notices served decreased as did the number of
summonses served and cases heard, the latter fell from 119 in 1965 to 51 in 1970. Work under
the Rent Acts was slightly less in 1970 than in 1965, possibly due to the continual decrease in
the number of properties coming within rent control, either by demolition under redevelopment
schemes, by improvement and the granting of Qualification Certificates and by the change of tenancy.
Food and Drugs Act and Regulations
The Section has endeavoured not only to keep up the standard of food hygiene in premises
generally but to improve it, the number of visits per annum averaging 3,000, indicates the
attention paid to this facet of the work. Fortunately, seldom has official action been necessary,
and few cases have had to be referred for action in the Courts.
As to quality control, the average number of samples taken for chemical analysis was about
500 and bacteriological samples were about 250 per annum. Our policy is to sample as a first
priority, those articles of food produced in this Borough. The second priority is of food
imported into the country via the London International Freight Terminal, and lastly those items
marketed nationally and, therefore, subject to sampling and analysis by many other local
authorities.
One of the more important items in this part of the work of the Section is the manning of
the London International Freight Terminal. The conditions at the Terminal are such that it is
designated as a Port and has full Customs and Excise staffing control, and, therefore, the
London Borough of Newham has become a Port and the Public Health Inspectors Section is responsible
for all food imported through the Terminal. The Terminal is manned full time by one Public Health
Inspector working on a rota system at a time of one month. The Inspector is responsible for
inspecting all consignments of food, checking for correctness of labelling, constituents and
conditions in compliance with the relevant legislation, and that it has come from approved
establishments and the markings on each consignment coincide with the import manifest. At one
time it was necessary for the inspection of fresh meat to be carried out Sunday nights between
midnight and 6.00 a.m. on Monday. This practice has ceased, at least for the time being.
Samples for both bacteriological and chemical examination are taken and consignments can be
detained if there is any discrepancy in any way and if no satisfactory explanation is forthcoming
within a specified time, they can be detained or re-exported to the country of origin.
Meat Inspection
The inspection of meat at the two abattoirs within the Borough is carried out by an
authorised Meat Inspector, together with one Public Health Inspector working on a rota system.
The number of animals slaughtered has dropped from the peak of 72,000 per annum in 1966 to
about 43,000 in 1970.
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