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  4. Rats and Mice (Destruction) Act, 1919

Rats and Mice (Destruction) Act, 1919

Powers of local authorities and authorised persons, and penalty for interference.

5.—(1) Where a local authority having power to enforce this Act is of opinion that the occupier of any land in its district has failed to take such steps as are required by section one of this Act, such local authority may either serve a notice on the occupier requiring him to take such steps as are prescribed in the notice within a time specified therein, or, after not less than twenty-four hours previous notice to the occupier, enter upon the land and take such steps as are necessary and reasonably practicable for the purpose of destroying the rats and mice on the land or of preventing the land from becoming infested with rats and mice, and may recover any reasonable expenses so incurred from the occupier of the land summarily as a civil debt.

(2) A local authority in the exercise of its powers under this section shall, as far as possible, take or secure collective action for the destruction of rats or mice.

(3) The powers of a local authority under this Act may be exercised by any committee of the local authority to which the exercise of those powers may be delegated.

(4) Any person authorised in writing by a local authority under this Act, or by a person empowered to act in default of a local authority, may enter any land in the district of such local authority for the purpose of ascertaining whether the steps required by section one of this Act are being taken or of executing and enforcing this Act in any other respect. Any such person must produce the document by which he is authorised if so required.

(5) Any person who shall obstruct or impede an officer or other person authorised as aforesaid in the execution of his duties or powers under this Act, or who, being the occupier of any land, shall fail to comply with any reasonable requirement of any such officer or other authorised person for facilitating the execution of his duties or powers, shall be liable on summary conviction to a fine not exceeding twenty pounds.