§ MR. G. C. T. BARTLEY (Islington, N.)I beg to ask the President of the Local Government Board, whether his attention has been drawn to a resolution of the General Purposes Committee of the County Council of Middlesex of the 9th instant on the subject of the state of the River Brent owing to its pollution by sewage; and, what steps are to be taken to remove this danger to the health of the western suburbs of London, especially during this hot weather?
§ MR. CHAPLINI have received a copy of the Resolution to which my hon. Friend refers. I stated, in reply to a question which he put to me on the 5th instant, that I would communicate again with the Thames Conservancy and the Middlesex County Council as to preventing the pollution of the Brent, and this I have done. I am informed that in several of the cases of pollution of the river by sewage, to which attention was drawn in the Report on the subject made last year by one of the Inspectors of the Local Government Board, either the pollution has now been diverted from the stream, or steps have been taken to abate it; whilst in two instances samples, taken periodically since October last, have been analysed, and are reported to give good effluents. I understand that writs have been issued asking for injunctions against two of the District Councils referred to in the Inspector's Report. One of these Councils has applied to the Board for sanction to a loan for works of sewage disposal, and I am informed that proposals are to be made to the other by their surveyor as to the execution of some additional works with a view of preventing the pollution.