[Report 1947] / Medical Officer of Health, Tewkesbury.

  • Tewkesbury (England). Council.
Date:
1947
Catalogue details

Licence: Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0)

Credit: [Report 1947] / Medical Officer of Health, Tewkesbury. Source: Wellcome Collection.

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    tension to the factory, which is of a unit type, is envisaged shortly. Many other industries are seeking an opportunity to open up on the estate but, curtailment of building programmes by the Ministry of Health on account of shortage of building materials, has involved a regrettable delay in the granting of licences. Unemployment Unemployment was somewhat greater in 1947 than it has been for some years but the amount gives no occasion for disquiet. The minimum number of unemployed occurred during the last four months of the year, when the average was less than eleven (ten males and one female) compared with eight in 1946 (five males and three females). The maximum was reached in April, when seventy- two were unemployed (sixty-one males and eleven females) compared with thirty-eight in 1946 (thirty-two males and six females.) The comparatively high figures which existed from February to May were largely accounted for by the abnormal frost and snow followed by flooding and, latterly, to the time-lag of delivery of materials resulting from the earlier fuel shortage. FLOODING, MARCH, 8947 Report by the Sanitary Inspector From a public health point of view, as well as from that of general interest, there is no doubt that the flooding this year was the most important event. The waters rose rapidly from 11th March to 20th March when they' reached their peak at 7 p.m. at a height of 41.93 feet above Ordnance Datum. This is the highest ever recorded —the previous highest being 40.5 feet. Other record floods oc¬ curred in 1886 and 1851 but there is no evidence that the waters ever reached up to Church Street before. As it was, the flooding almost reached the Cross in the very centre of the town. The average summer level is 26.5 feet over datum so that there was, on 20th March, 15.43 feet of flood water. As soon as the gravity of the situation became apparent, the Mayor called a meeting of corporation officials, managers of public undertakings (water, gas and electricity), distributors of essential commodities and other members of the public. Full arrangements were made to ensure that supplies would reach outlying parts of the Borough, as well as villages outside, which depend upon Tewkesbury for their shopping. The centre of the town had, meanwhile, become an island with floods reaching to a depth of 3 to 4 feet on the only four roads out of town. Ferry services for pedestrians were run by volunteers. For several days at the height of the floods, only high ground- clearance Diesel vehicles could pass in or out of the town. Transport