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Sanitary Inspection of the Borough.—In addition to the work recorded in other paragraphs of
this Report the Sanitary Inspectors continued their general duties of abating nuisances and dealing with
contraventions of the Public Health Act, etc. To carry out effectively the sanitary inspection of a district
the Local Government Board in 1910 recommended a minimum of one inspector per 10,000 population.
Since then the duties have increased and the present establishment of inspectors for the Borough is nine.
Not only must the inspectors deal promptly with complaints but they must have time to pay regular
routine visits to premises if a steady and progressive improvement in the sanitary circumstances of the
Borough is to be maintained.
The abatement of nuisances and the remedying of defects is still handicapped and delayed by shortage
of materials and labour and by rising costs. Some particulars of the work done are shown below:—
Complaints received 1,301
Number of premises at which nuisances, etc., were located 1,005
Number of premises where defects were remedied:—
(a) by owners or occupier 981
(b) by Council in default 5
(c) public sewers repaired by Council 15
Informal notices issued 727
Written reminders issued 722
Statutory notices served 101
Total number of inspections and re-inspections 21,429
Inspections of piggeries 71
Inspections of stables 82
Inspections of urinals 57
Sinks provided or repaired 24
Roofs repaired 249
Gutters repaired or renewed 177
Brickwork, sills, etc., repaired or renewed 270
Premises provided with damp-proof courses 3
Sites covered with impervious material 3
Yards and forecourts paved or drained 28
Rooms stripped, cleansed and redecorated 423
Floors, walls and ceilings repaired or renewed 1,038
Rooms in which ventilation provided or improved 30
Rooms in which lighting provided or improved 2
Windows repaired or renewed 416
Doors and other woodwork repaired or renewed 157
Staircases replaced or repaired 10
Handrails or balusters repaired or renewed 9
Grates provided or repaired 133
Wash coppers provided or repaired 5
Instances where ventilation under floors provided or improved 18
Larders provided or repaired 11
Domestic cleansing enforced 11
Improper keeping of animals abated 5
Offensive accumulations removed 34
Pigsties provided, repaired, cleansed, etc. 3
Urinals provided, repaired, cleansed, etc. 4
Other repairs carried out or nuisances abated 127
Visits re infectious disease, etc. 311
Action in Court was taken for the abatement of a nuisance due to carbon black. The Magistrates
made an Abatement Order and laid down certain conditions to be complied with by the defendants.
Smoke Abatement.—The emission of smoke, grit and ash from a factory chimney may constitute
a nuisance within the meaning of the Public Health Acts. During the year the Sanitary Inspectors made
98 smoke observations on factory chimneys and made many visits to premises concerning which complaints
of smoke nuisance had been received.
Smoke nuisances were proved at three premises. At two of these the nuisance arose from defects
in the boiler plant and though the nuisances were duly abated there was some delay in getting the necessary
spare parts. In the third case the type of fuel was thought to be a contributory cause, the help of the
technical staff of the Ministry of Fuel and Power was obtained and in due course the nuisance was abated.
The usual excuse given for the occurrence of a smoke nuisance is that the right type of fuel for the
boiler cannot be obtained. While this may make boiler firing more difficult there is no doubt that smoke
nuisance in most cases is due to bad stoking or defects in the plant. The best designed plant will not give
satisfactory results unless it is operated correctly and maintained properly.
Smoke from domestic chimneys can be a nuisance and does a lot of damage, but is free from all
supervision and control. In 1946 the Fuel and Power Advisory Council submitted a report on " Domestic
Fuel Policy" in which they say " our coal is used for domestic heating with a degree of inefficiency, whicli
is not, so far as we can ascertain, even approached in any other country in the world." They strongly
recommended the replacement of old fashioned coal grates by modern multi-fuel appliances which burn
efficiently and as smokelessly as possible and the increased production of smokeless solid fuels suitable
for domestic purposes. Local Authorities in building new houses are now required to install solid fuel
burning apparatus taken from a list of such appliances approved by the Ministry of Fuel and Power and
where plans are approved for private building, a similar requirement is made. The replacement of existing
ranges and fire grates in existing houses by such approved appliances would make an important contribution
to a cleaner atmosphere. These appliances will not only burn smokeless fuel such as coke but will burn
coal more efficiently and thus give more heat, less dust and dirt in the home and less atmospheric pollution.
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