Which act made local authorities responsible for sewers, water supply and street cleaning?

• A. 1846 Public Baths Act
• B. 1866 Sanitary Act
• C. 1875 Municipal Reform Act
• D. 1900 Local Government Act

Answer: (B)

In Victorian Britain, the move to improve urban health depended on making local authorities responsible for cleaning up towns. The 1866 Sanitary Act is the key statute because it explicitly placed duties for sewers, water supply and street cleaning on local authorities, turning sanitation into a legal obligation for town governments. This act built on earlier public health efforts by giving towns real power and a clear duty to plan and carry out sewer networks, ensure a clean water supply, and organise regular street cleaning. The other options focus on different ideas: one deals with public baths, another with reforming municipal governance, and the last with broader local government changes. None of those established the specific, formal duties for sanitation in the way the 1866 Sanitary Act did.