[Report 1911] / Medical Officer of Health, Hursley R.D.C.

  • Hursley (England). Rural District Council.
Date:
1911
Catalogue details

Licence: Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0)

Credit: [Report 1911] / Medical Officer of Health, Hursley R.D.C. Source: Wellcome Collection.

    4/22 (page 2)
    of this was satisfactory. The South Hants Water Company supply 28 houses in North Baddesley out of 65 ; 300 out of 370 in Chandlers Ford; and 171 out of 234 in Otterbourne and Allbrook. The supply is constant, sufficient, and wholesome. The rest of Hur- sley, Baddesley, Chandler’s Ford, Otterbourne, and Allbrook, and the whole of Ampfield are supplied by wells, many shallow and dry-steined, and although evidence of serious pollution is infrequent, the probability of more or less contamination from time to time cannot be ignored. I hope to see Ampfield with a purer and better supply than is procurable from the present wells. No. of houses to which water has been laid on during the year :—36 (21 in lieu of shallow wells.) POLLUTION OF RIVERS AND STREAMS. The same conditions as mentioned in my last year’s Report still exist:—Some night soil at Chandler’s Ford and slop-water at Allbrook run into streams. In addition, the waste-water discharged from the Snowball Laundiy, Chandler’s Ford, which finds its way into the stream running through the village, has the composition of untreated sewage. Owing to the persistent complaints of the serious nuisance caused by this waste-water undergoing putrefaction in an open ditch running by the side of Park Road, proceedings were taken by the Council against the Proprietor. At the instance of the County Medical Officer—whose intervention I obtained—analyses were made by the County Anatyst of samples of the effluent taken at different points on two separate occasions, and shewed its composition resembling that of ordinarj^ sewage —so far as the presence of free and combined Ammonia is concerned. Strangely enough, when the case went into Court, the County Analyst was retained as expert witness by the defendant, and there then appeared to be a discrepancy between his evidence in Court and his signed Analyses. In the result, an Order was made to abate the Nuisance within twelve months, each side to pay their own costs. DRAINAGE AND SEWERAGE. Most new houses erected have drains for removing the waste water and soil (in some cases), and these are in nearly every instance connected with a Cesspit. These are inspected and tested by the Inspector in the case of new buildings, and in all cases where attention is drawn to the existence of any defect. As a rule, sufficient attention is not given by the owners and occupiers to keep house drahis properly flushed, and unless adequate means of inspection (by easily accessible inspection chambers) are provided, it is difficult for them to do so. There is no organised system of Sewerage in the District, although the drainage of Winchester Terrace, Chandlersford, discharges into what may technically be held to be a sewer. During the year a Local Government Board inspector visited Chandlersford at the request of the Council, and, in consequence of his P^eport, the Local Government Board urged the Council