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75
Details of the five main Acts dealing with animals can be summarised briefly
as follows:-
Diseases of Animals Act, 1950: The Corporation of the City of London
Inspectors make routine visits to butchers and poulterers.
No infringements of the regulations were reported.
Pet Animals Act, 1951: Annual licences were granted to fifteen pet shops,
including stalls in open markets.
Twenty-five visits were made and in all cases it was found that the conditions
of the licences were being complied with.
Riding Establishments Act, There are none in this Borough.
Performing Animals (Regulations) Act, 1925: No licences were granted.
Animal Boarding Establishments Act, 1963: There are none in this Borough.
RODENTS
There are twelve rodent operatives working under the overall supervision
of the Public Health Inspectorate. Their work can briefly be divided into
three;
1. Treating all sewers in accordance with the recommendations of the
Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food.
2. Destroying breeding grounds and in particular the sealing of disused
drains.
3. Dealing with surface infestations.
In 1965 the Council decided that all sewer treatment throughout theBorough
shall be carried out under the control of the Health Department and this is the
first year when a complete sewer treatment over the whole of the new Borough
has been carried out according to this policy.
In the past, success has been achieved by the use of "Warfarin" but owing
to the gradual resistance to “Warfarin" so far as rats are concerned the Ministry
recommended direct poisoning by the use of sodium fluoroacetate and this has
been employed throughout the sewers in this Borough. As a matter of interest
every manhole and side entrance in the Borough, totalling 1500, were baited
three times during the year.
Rats do not breed in the sewers but in disused drains connected to the
sewers, and it is here that the rodent operative staff have concentrated a great
deal of effort to destroy such breeding grounds, particularly in clearance areas
and vacant sites. The control of rodents in demolished clearance areas presents
a special problem. Once the premises have been demolished it is not
always possible to trace the drainage system. Therefore drainage plans are
made before demolition commences, and in this way it is possible to seal off
all disused drains effectively.
Details of work done under the provisions of the Prevention of Damage by
Pests Act 1949 are set out below:-
No. of properties in the Borough 81,885
No. of complaints received 2,941
No. of inspections 3, 027
Drains examined 151
Drains smoke tested 296
Drains found to be defective 75