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Public Cleansing.—The cleansing of streets and the collection and disposal of refuse are carried
out under the control of the Borough Engineer. Refuse is disposed of by controlled tipping and the
collection of house refuse is carried out weekly. Through action by the Health Department 58 new dustbins
were provided during 1950.
The following details of the salvage of waste materials have been provided by the Borough
Engineer:—
1946
1947
1948
1949
1950
Paper (tons)
709
686
943
1,228
1,331
Scrap metal (tons)
28
40
83
102
80
Textiles (tons)
65
56
64
84
75
Bones (tons)
8
4
3
2
1
Bottles, jars (tons)
251
166
109
23
36
Cullet (tons)
17
10
14
12
6
Rubber (tons)
1
9
1
1
—
Kitchen Waste (tons)
1,173
1,077
1,110
1,074
1,013
Miscellaneous (tons)
60
—
1
-
-
£11,405
£11,207
£12,322
£12,702
£14,426
During the year the Council gave consent, subject to conditions designed to prevent nuisance, for
refuse to be tipped at Millstream Field, Hounslow Heath and at gravel pits on the Heston Airport site.
Sanitary Inspection of the Borough.—Apart from the work recorded in other paragraphs of this
Report, the Sanitary Inspectors continued their general duty of abating nuisances and dealing with contraventions
of the Public Health Act, etc. This work continues to be handicapped by shortage of labour
and materials and by rising costs. Some particulars of the work done are given below :—
Complaints received 1,252
Number of premises at which nuisances, etc., were located 978
Number of premises where defects were remedied:—
(a) by owners or occupiers 969
(b) by Council in default 11
(c) public sewers repaired by Council 20
Informal notices issued 667
Written reminders issued 869
Statutory notices served 104
Total number of inspections and re-inspections 18,921
Inspections of piggeries 66
Inspections of stables 85
Inspections of urinals 24
Sinks repaired or renewed 42
Roofs repaired 262
Gutters repaired or renewed 151
Number of premises provided with damp-proof courses 4
Yards paved or drained 21
Floors, walls, etc., repaired or renewed 1,114
Windows repaired or renewed 470
Doors repaired or renewed 171
Grates provided or repaired 163
Wash coppers provided or repaired 11
Larders provided or repaired 10
Offensive accumulations removed 40
Other nuisances abated 161
Visits re infectious disease, etc. 462
"Any accumulation or deposit which is prejudicial to health or a nuisance" is a statutory nuisance,
to be dealt with under the Public Health Act, 1936. Complaints are received of deposits and accumulations
in rear passages, on unfenced land and, at the outskirts of the Borough, in roadside ditches and ponds.
These accumulations consist of such material as garden refuse, rubble, tins, defective water tanks, broken
furniture and household utensils, etc., and though unsightly, are seldom "prejudicial to health or a
nuisance" within the meaning of the Public Health Act. Children are sometimes blamed for these
deposits. Undoubtedly children use them as play material, but the most casual inspection reveals that
citizens or other adults with no pride in the general appearance of the Borough have deliberately dumped
their rubbish on the site. The Department does what it can to deal with these accumulations, but legal
action is seldom possible and rarely can the offenders be traced.
Carbon black is transhipped from barges and coasting vessels to lorries at a wharf in Isleworth.
This fine powder is liable to be carried on to the roadway by the vehicles and to be blown into adjacent
houses by the wind. Complaints have been received from the occupants of houses in the vicinity of the
wharf and considerable attention has been given to this matter in consultation with the owner of the wharf
and representatives of the trade concerned in an effort to solve the problem.
During the year complaints were received of a nuisance from the roosting and breeding of feral
pigeons in premises in the Hounslow area. There are restrictions on the methods to be employed in capturing
pigeons and trapping and capture by hand, where access to roosting places was possible, were the methods
adopted. In this way 130 pigeons were caught. Ringed birds were handed over to a person interested in
homing pigeons who undertook to try to return the birds to their owners and the other birds were killed.
Nothing could be done about the pigeons roosting in inaccessible places, but property owners were advised
to take such measures as were possible to prevent access to vacant property and to discourage roosting.
Unfortunately many people do not appreciate how much damage can be done by pigeons and encourage
their presence by making food available to them.
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