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61
ATMOSPHERIC POLLUTION
CLEAN AIR ACT, 1956
Since the 1st June, 1958, all sections of the Clean Air Act, 1956 have
been in operation, and during the year under review action was taken under the
following sections of the Act:-
SECTION 1 (Prohibition of dark smoke from chimneys) makes the emission of dark
smoke from a chimney, including domestic chimneys, an offence The emission
itself is an offence, and the question of a nuisance being caused and having to
be proved does not arise (Maximum Penalty is in the case of a chimney of
a private dwelling £10, and in the case of any other chimney £100).
Under the provisions of subsection 2 of this section, the Minister of
Housing and Local Government made the Dark Smoke (Permitted Periods) Regulations,
1958, which came into operation on the 1st June of that year. Under these
regulations emissions of dark smoke from any chimney are permitted for not
longer than ten minutes in the aggregate in any period of eight hours, or, if
soot-blowing is carried out within any such period for not longer than 14
minutes in the aggregate of that period. These periods are increased in the
case of a chimney serving two or more furnaces Notwithstanding these
regulations (a) the continuous emission of dark smoke caused otherwise than by
soot-blowing for a period exceeding four minutes, or (b) the emission of black
smoke for more than two minutes in the aggregate in any period of 30 minutes
is an offence.
Two offences under this section were discovered, and in both cases legal
proceedings were instituted and the offenders were fined and ordered to pay
the Council's costs,
SECTION 2 (Temporary exemptions from section one). No applications for
certificates under the provisions of sub-section 2 of this section were
received.
SECTION 3 (Requirement that new furnaces shall be so far as practicable
smokeless) requires all new furnaces (including domestic installations with
a maximum heating capacity of 55,000 or more B.Th.U's per hour) to be capable
of being operated continuously without emitting smoke when burning fuel of a
type for which they were designed The installation of a new furnace must be
notified to the local authority, and plans and specifications for a new
furnace may be submitted for approval. Under the provisions of this section
eight notifications of intention to install furnaces were received; in three
of these cases applications for approval were also considered by the Committee
and the plans and specifications were approved subject to conditions as to
the type of fuel, maintenance, etc., being complied with
SECTION 11 (Smoke Control Areas)
(a) HACKNEY NO, 1 (CENTRAL) SMOKE CONTROL ORDER, 1958 This Order,
which came into operation on the 1st September, 1959, covers some 150 acres
and includes 1,177 privately owned houses and flats, 2,775 municipally owned
dwellings and 236 other premises. It was estimated that some 1,470 adaptations
or conversions in dwellings would be necessary at a total cost of £17,815, of
which the owners or occupiers would pay £5,344 10s. Od ., the Exchequer £7,126,
and the Borough Council £5,344 10s Od. The estimated additional quantity of
fuel necessary to cover the requirements of the area was in the region of 2,600
tons of smokeless fuel, 50,400 units of electricity and 16,000 therms of gas
Per year