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SANITARY CIRCUMSTANCES OF THE AREA
Water Supply. The Higham Ferrers and Rushden Water Board is responsible for the water supply to the Urban District. The Board piovides a treated water supply and the sources of supply are as follows:
Above Ground Source—Sywell Reservoir, which has a capacity of 236,000,000 gallons, and is situated in the Wellingborough Rural District. The reservoir is dependent upon springs and surface rainwater from the surrounding catchment area, also two small brooks flow into the reservoir. The size of the catchment area is approximately 2,000 acres. Treatment of water at these works consists of slow sand filtration, rapid gravity filtration, followed by chlorination.
Under Ground Source of Supply—(a) Hardwater Crossing, Wollaston, The source of supply here is from wells sunk in the Nene river gravels. The water from this source is rather hard. Treatment of water consists of mechanical filtration, followed by chlorination.
(b) Ditchford. Water is extracted from the gravels by porous concrete collector ducts which are laid in the alluvial gravels adjacent to Ditchford lake. Treatment of water consists of rapid gravity filtration, partial softening, aeration, and finally, chlorination.
(c) Further sources of supply belonging to the Board are a gravel well at Earls Barton and springs at Grendon.
Quality of Water. The chemical analyses of water taken at Ditchford, Sywell and Wollaston Pumping Stations gave the following results:
|
Final Water
Wollaston Works
|
Final Water
Ditchford Works
|
Final Water
Sywell Works
|
| Physical Characters |
Good
|
Good
|
Good
|
| Reaction |
p.H. 7.0
|
7.1
|
7.2
|
|
Chemical Analysis
|
|
Parts per 100,000
|
| Samples Contained |
Sywell
(treated)
|
Ditchford
(treated)
|
Wollaston
(treated)
|
| Chloride |
4.8
|
7
|
3.8
|
| Ammonia (Free and Saline) |
0.0098
|
nil
|
0.0042
|
| Ammonia (Albuminoid) |
0.0136
|
0.0272
|
0.0244
|
| Nitrate |
0.5
|
0.1
|
0.2
|
| Nitrite |
absent
|
absent
|
absent
|
| Poisonous Metals |
absent
|
absent
|
absent
|
| Calcium |
12.6
|
12.4
|
8.4
|
| Magnesium |
1.21
|
1.21
|
1.05
|
| Alkalinity |
23.0
|
17.5
|
12.5
|
| Total Hardness |
31.9
|
27.8
|
18.3
|
| Permanent hardness |
15.7
|
17.2
|
12.3
|
| Temporary hardness |
16.2
|
10.6
|
6.0
|
| Microscopic examination of deposit |
none
|
none
|
none
|
| Bacteriological examination |
absent
c.o.
|
absent
c.o.
|
absent
c.o.
|
Fluoride Content of the Water Supply—
| Sywell Reservoir |
0.24 parts per million
|
| Wollaston, Hardwater Crossing |
0.20 parts per million
|
| Ditchford |
0.18 parts per million
|
Water Samples. 516 samples were taken in the area of the Board during the year.
Samples of treated water all gave satisfactory results.
Water Consumption. The following are combined figures for Rushden and Higham Ferrers.
| |
gallons
|
| Average daily consumption |
923,694
|
Domestic Use:
Average per day |
771,181
|
Trade Use:
Average per day |
152,513
|
| Consumption/Head/Day |
|
| Domestic |
33.5
|
| Trade |
6.6
|
Piped Water Supply. New services. Private 105, Council none. The rainfall over the past 14 years was as follows:
|
1957
|
1958
|
1959
|
1960
|
1961
|
1962
|
1963
|
1964
|
1965
|
1966
|
1967
|
1968
|
1969
|
1970
|
| Rushden |
23.72
|
26.85
|
18.4
|
31.64
|
18.9
|
19.27
|
21.45
|
18.22
|
25.89
|
28.89
|
20.22
|
30.43
|
23.07
|
22.89
|
| Sywell |
24.51
|
30.54
|
20.5
|
33.74
|
20.8
|
18.91
|
22.23
|
16.35
|
28.98
|
28.96
|
25.23
|
28.29
|
22.13
|
25.95
|
Sewage Disposal, Drainage and Sewerage. The sewage disposal plant for the town is situated off the Wellingborough Road, and is well screened.
Trade effluents. Council investigate trade waste and effected trade effluent agreements with industry in 1965.
Swimming Baths. A heated open-air swimming pool run by the council is open during the summer months. A daily check on the quality of the baths water is made by the swimming baths manager, and monthly samples are taken by the Health Department for bacteriological examination.
Movable Dwellings. There is one licensed site for caravans. This is situated off the Bedford Road. It is a very well maintained site and the necessary amenities for the caravan dwellers are provided.
Public Cleansing. There is a weekly collection of household refuse and also facilities available for the tipping of trade waste. The tip is situated at Sidegate Lane, Finedon, in the old ironstone workings.
Atmospheric Pollution. The following figures give a comparison between the results of the deposit gauges and the estimated sulphur in the atmosphere by the lead peroxide method. Rainfall is also given.
|
Rainfall Inches
|
Deposited Matter
Tons per sq. mile
|
Deposited Sulphur
Milligrammes per
100 sq. centimetres
|
| Month |
1970
|
1969
|
1970
|
1969
|
1970
|
1969
|
| January |
2.83
|
2.72
|
8.97
|
6.3
|
1.47
|
1.53
|
| February |
2.20
|
1.77
|
6.90
|
7.84
|
1.42
|
1.83
|
| March |
1.93
|
2.29
|
15.01
|
9.64
|
1.34
|
1.17
|
| April |
2.40
|
1.06
|
13.71
|
7.34
|
1.31
|
1.26
|
| May |
0.55
|
4.02
|
8.40
|
14.91
|
0.6
|
0.76
|
| June |
0.91
|
1.38
|
4.50
|
11.34
|
0.44
|
0.66
|
| July |
1.54
|
2.13
|
4.97
|
8.34
|
0.26
|
0.61
|
| August |
2.44
|
2.17
|
5.57
|
4.9
|
0.4
|
0.55
|
| September |
1.10
|
0.32
|
1.57
|
4.14
|
0.97
|
0.79
|
| October |
1.54
|
0.16
|
6.67
|
3.06
|
0.68
|
0.79
|
| November |
3.86
|
1.69
|
7.27
|
6.3
|
*
|
1.3
|
| December |
1.14
|
1.69
|
5.14
|
3.84
|
1.46
|
1.4
|
| *Figures not available |
|
|
|
|
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Noise Abatement Act, 1960. The Council is responsible for investigating complaints under this Act, although it is often difficult to find a satisfactory solution to noise nuisance.
Prevention of Damage by Pests Act, 1949
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PROPERTIES OTHER THAN SEWERS
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TYPE OF PROPERTY
|
|
Non-Agricultural
|
Agricultural
|
|
1.
|
Number of properties in district.
|
8,743
|
25
|
|
2.
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(a) Total number of properties (including nearby
premises) inspected following notification.
|
118
|
7
|
| (b) Number infested by |
(i) Rats
|
56
|
6
|
|
(ii) Mice
|
50
|
-
|
|
3.
|
(a) Total number of properties inspected for rats
and mice for reasons other than notification.
|
29
|
9
|
(b) Number infested by
|
(i) Rats |
1
|
-
|
|
(ii) Mice
|
14
|
-
|
It became evident during the year that Warfarin resistant mice had spread to most parts of the District. Every new case presented some difficulty, and infestations had to be treated with dusts, zinc phosphide combinations and traps. A new poison is desperately required to deal with this problem.
The County Rat Campaign was not as successful as last year and was hampered by the occurrence of Fowl Pest. It was difficult to compare the activity of the farming community, but they did not purchase the amount of Warfarin as they did on the last occasion.
The baiting of the sewers again produced no result and indicated rat free systems.
Factories Act, 1937 to 1961. There are 158 premises on the register. The number of outworkers (Part VIII of the Act) in the August list totalled 76 who were concerned with making wearing apparel.
Offices, Shops and Railway Premises Act, 1963—All registered premises within the Urban District have now received a general inspection. All new premises or businesses within the district are visited to ascertain the number of staff employed, if any, and the premises registered and inspected as necessary, some premises being inspected by the Factory Inspector.
At the end of 1970, 212 premises were registered with the Urban District, and a total of 1,334 persons were employed.
During general inspections of these premises a total of 430 contraventions have been found to exist. Written notices have been served on 102 premises, and works have been completed at 77. Works are in progress at the majority of the remaining 25 premises, and it is expected these notices will be complied with by the end of the year. Numerous verbal notices were also given to employers regarding more minor contraventions.
The most common contraventions found involved sanitary conveniences, washing facilities, conditions of floors, cleanliness of workrooms, and the absence of suitable handrails, first-aid boxes and thermometers.
Works completed include the provision of several new sanitary conveniences; some at premises having a convenience for the first time, instead of sharing, and others having extra conveniences built, according to the numbers and sex of staff employed. Hot water geysers have been fitted at a large number of premises, where the only source of hot water has been a kettle. Handrails have been provided to stairways and short flights of steps, defective floors repaired, and dangerous openings in floors guarded.
The response to these notices has been very good, most employers complying with the Act without the need to serve reminder notices.
At the time of the initial inspections approximately 50 per cent of the registered premises did not comply with the Act, and it can be seen from the information above progress has been made in the past two years.
HOUSING. The Council's building programme for the year was as follows:
| No. of council houses constructed |
-
|
| No. under construction at the end of the year |
-
|
| No. of houses built by the Council since the war |
1,083
|
| Private houses constructed during the year |
123
|
| Private houses under construction at the end of the year |
154
|
Housing Applicants. The situation with regard to applicants for Council houses was as follows:
| On general housing list |
In Rooms
|
Tenants
|
Engaged
Couples
|
Total
|
| (a) Having completed a waiting period of 9 months |
6
|
79
|
7
|
92
|
| (b) Under 9 months (50% of nominal list) |
—
|
—
|
—
|
40
|
| (c) Applications for bungalows and 1 bedroomed flats |
—
|
—
|
—
|
165*
|
| (d) Awaiting re-housing from clearance areas and condemned houses |
|
|
|
—
|
| * Includes 40 Council house tenants |
|
|
|
307
|
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