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of mud which in many cases had been left by the retiring water.
In some premises I visited, where there were semi-basements,
the water was from three to four feet deep, and the annoyance
was aggravated by the house drains being forced and their
contents washed up into the yards. Many of the houses remained
damp for a considerable time, especially after the last
flood, as it occurred in December, and in some cases they became
offensive in consequence of the landlords not removing the
the accumulations quickly enough. The floods were not caused
by the rainfall in Hackney, as it was less than an inch in 24
hours, but from an overflow of the River Lea, in consequence
of the heavy rains in the upper part of its course. The River
Lea Conservancy Board and the East London Water Works
Company have altered the Channels through which the storm
waters passed away, and have thus been indirectly the cause of
these injurious overflows, which are likely to recur, unless the
efforts made by the Board to obtain alterations in the works
executed by these Public Bodies should be successful.
Another cause of annoyance to numerous inhabitants and of
labour to the Sanitary Staff is the greatly increased number of
deposits of vegetable and animal refuse in the avenues behind
the houses, and in various open spaces in the District. When
fields were near to the houses, and costermongers and gardeners
had not far to take the refuse, it was deposited there, bnt now
that houses have been built over the fields, refuse is surreptitiously
shot in avenues or other places near dwellings. The aid of the
inspector of nuisances is, therefore, invoked to remove the
accumulations which, as they are often placed on private property,
and the owner cannot always be ascertained, a very large amount
of trouble is thrown upon the Staff. In several instances I have
directed that the freeholder should be served with notice to
remove the accumulations, and have been successful, but in many
other cases he has denied all responsibility and left us in a
difficulty, as there is no rent payable on account of these
localities, which are open to the public. The nuisances have,