Where the local authority on the certificate of the medical officer are satisfied that the cleansing, purification, or destruction of any article in a dwelling-house is, by reason of the filthy condition of the article, necessary to prevent injury or to remove or obviate risk of injury to the health of any person in the dwelling-house, the local authority may cause the article to be cleansed, purified, or destroyed at their expense.
Where a person sustains damage in consequence of the exercise by the local authority of their powers under this section, and the condition of the article with respect to which those powers have been exercised is not 'attributable to his act or default, the local authority shall make reasonable compensation to that person.