In 1849 the Public Health report didnt  favour Bacup very well.  With the lack of a constant water supply and sewearage system it is hardly suprising that the population of Bacup often went to an early grave suffering from diseases such as Typhus , Cholera and Dysentry. Women quite often suffered from femoral hernia the after effect of having to carry water sometimes great distances, and even when the water began to be piped this brought its own dangers with the pipes being made of lead, lead poisioning and diahorrea became a common killer. With inadequate ventilition to the poorly built houses, and effecient drainage it is hardly suprising the doctors and nurses of Bacup and Stacksteads were kept very busy. Accidents on the road, railway and mills were commonplace frequently ending in severe mutilation or death. Sadly this often led to the surviving family members being left in worse poverty therreby ending thier days in the workhouse at Pikelaw. One of the very first Police Constables appointed in Bacup was Nelson Howorth otherwise known as " Old Nelson” when he died on March 12th 1865 he was the oldest member of the force in the Rossendale division.Nelson was joined by P.C. Martin who with several others was brought to Bacup when the railway was being constructed from Waterfoot to Bacup, to deal with the navvies working on the railway. At the time of the opening of the new fire station at Sandfield, in 1960, the Bacup Borough Fire Brigade had been in existence for about 66 years. The brigade may never have come into existence had it not been for a devastating fire at Beulah Methodist Free Church, Britannia in 1892, which left the building completely destroyed. During the later part of 1898 the Bacup Corps was formed first aid classes having bee held since about 1886. Public Health Report Click  to Read.