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42
Tents, Vans and Sheds.
For the past two years, there have been intermittent
camps of itinerant van dwellers on the vacant land
adjoining Hounslow Road, Whitton.
No sanitary accommodation existed and water supply
was obtained from neighbouring cottages. At first, three
or four caravans stayed for short periods, and as usual when
inspections were made and notices served, the caravans
moved to another district.
During the year 1920, the camp became permanent and
the number of vans at any one time varied considerably
between 4 and 24, with approximately 100 occupants for
whom the owner of the land provided some water closet
accommodation and water supply from a stand pipe.
The interiors of the vans were, as is usually found, kept
in a cleanly condition, but there was much littering of the
surrounding ground with rubbish and even if no actual
public health nuisance arose, the existence of these camps
was unsightly, and doubtless also the behaviour and language
of the van dwellers were not at times altogether refined
and were undoubtedly a source of acute annoyance to the
residents in the neighbourhood.
The Council accordingly applied to the Ministry of
Health for approval of Byelaws to regulate the sanitary
condition of these moveable dwellings and after some delay,
these were allowed by the Ministry in December, 1920.
As soon as these Byelaws were in force, notices were
immediately served on the owner of the land to provide
adequate sanitary accommodation, but on account of the
behaviour of the occupiers of the vans, it was found possible
to proceed under a Byelaw dated 1893, against the owner
of the land for permitting "any such land, within one
hundred yards of any street, or of any dwelling house, to be