The Environmental Health Section carries out a number of functions to promote, improve and safeguard public health throughout Argyll. This includes liaising with SEPA, Scottish Water and Highland Health Board regarding any public health incidents such as food borne disease outbreaks.
Nuisance
Officers have wide ranging powers to deal with nuisances that may be causing extreme annoyance or affecting somebody’s health. This can include a number of situations such as noise nuisance, sewage leaks from septic tanks, properties in such poor condition that it affects people’s health, dust from building works, and foul smells affecting properties. Click here for further advice
Private Water Supplies
The Section has a duty to monitor approximately 1800 private water supplies that serve more than 7,000 people throughout Argyll. Officers can offer advice on improving and maintaining private water supplies and take enforcement action where necessary. Non means tested grant funding of up to £800 per property may be available to you to improve your private water supply. More information on private water supplies.
Communicable Disease Control
Officers from the Section play an important role in assisting the Health Board with the investigation and prevention of communicable disease including food poisoning. Click here for further information regarding food poisoning and other communicable diseases information and fact sheets.
Smoking Ban
The Smoking, Health and Social Care (Scotland) Act 2005 and the Prohibition of Smoking in Certain premises (Scotland) Regulations 2006 come in to effect on 26 March 2006, it prohibited smoking in many public places. You can find out further information on the smoking ban here.
Housing Issues
The condition of our housing can have a large impact on our health and wellbeing including because of damp and condensation. For further information relating to housing conditions, improvements and grants please visit the housing pages. Advice in relation to rented accommodation is available at www.rentingscotland.org.
For information about Landlord Registration including how to 'register as a landlord' or get a house in multiple occupation licence follow the links.
Water supply, waste water and sewers
If you have any problems with the water in your home, such as water supply or quality issues, problems with pipes or sewers, blocked or flooded sewers, or sewerage flooding or pollution, the Scottish Water website has information on what to do and who to contact
Drinking Water - lead piping advice
In Scotland, lead does not occur naturally in significant concentrations in our water supplies. The problem arises when drinking water comes into contact with lead supply pipes, lead tanks, lead solder joints on copper pipes, or inferior quality brass fittings and taps, particularly for longer periods (e.g. overnight/ weekends / holidays periods). This can result in high lead levels in the drinking water supply.
If you suspect you may have lead pipes, the Councils encourages you to undertake further works with a view to establishing whether lead is present and to take steps to replace them; and as a short-term, implement some precautionary measures to protect your health.
Information on the health effects of exposure to lead can be found on the NHS Inform website