[Report 1971] / Medical Officer of Health, Meriden R.D.C.

  • Meriden (England). Rural District Council.
Date:
1971
Catalogue details

Licence: Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0)

Credit: [Report 1971] / Medical Officer of Health, Meriden R.D.C. Source: Wellcome Collection.

    33/40 (page 31)
    The applicant Authority ultimately agreed and the proposal in its amended form was then given planning permission. The height of the proposed chimney was approved under section 6 of the Clean Air Act 1968, and the proposed installation of three furnaces was approved under section 3(1) of the Act and section 3(3) of the Clean Air Act 1956, subject to conditions. CARAVAN SITES At the end of 1971, 5 permanent and 17 temporary sites were licensed, permitting respectively 118 and 105 caravans. All the sites are maintained in a generally satisfactory condition although the problem of drainage (referred to in the 1970 report) at the large site at Meriden remains. A proposal to establish a privately-owned and operated site for gipsies at Bickenhill was initially refused planning permission, which however was granted by the Minister on appeal. The site had not been developed by the end of 1971. Legal proceedings were taken in respect of the use of land in the parish of Balsall for caravans without a licence. An absolute dis¬ charge was granted on a plea of mitigating circumstances but costs of £20 were awarded the Council. Another case involving the use of unlicensed land for caravans could not proceed because the defen¬ dant had left the country. Several minor contraventions were dealt with informally. PEST CONTROL AND MISCELLANEOUS SERVICES The following table records the work done in rodent control and other manual services: Number of visits by rodent operators 2,068 Premises found to be infested with rats and/or mice and subsequently treated— Domestic 522 Industrial and commercial 153 Sewage works 10 Drains examined and tested 252 Insect and other infestations dealt with 450 Collection and disposal of unfit food (visits) 241 Reference was made in the report for the year 1969 to the reappearance of bed bugs in the district after apparent freedom from them for many years. An increased number of cases was recorded in 1970. The position worsened somewhat in 1971: 81 cases were reported and dealt with and they included some reinfestations. There is no obvious explanation. The pests seemingly affect clean households as often as the not-so-clean and it is rarely possible to trace a source of infestation. Chemical treatment is nearly always effective but householders are sometimes slow to report infestations and do not always recognise it. Indeed a few have seemed unaware of it, which makes eradication so much more difficult.