The Food & Environmental Hygiene Department said today that it achieved initial results in combatting illegal shop front extensions effectively after it conducted joint enforcement operations with Police in various districts.

It pointed out that such operations have been taking place since October 3 in Tuen Mun, Sha Tin, Tai Po, Southern and Wong Tai Sin districts.

To sum up the past week from October 11 to 16, the department explained that in addition to issuing 56 fixed penalty notices and nine summonses against the shops for causing obstructions and cleanliness offences in public places, it also removed about 4.66 tonnes of waste.

Furthermore, two people were arrested during the enforcement operations for illegal hawking and causing an obstruction in a public place by the related shops, and about 108kg of related commodities were seized.

Moreover, a total of 35 warning notices, which require the owners of the articles to remove the obstructions within a specified time, were issued by Police. Among these, 10 warning notices had yet to be complied with and as a consequence, the department removed about 771kg of goods or articles involved.

Additionally, the department has taken out summon action against a licensed fresh provision shop for contravention of the Food Business Regulation during the past week's joint operations. It involves extending the business area without permission at or from any place beyond the confines of the food premises as delineated on the plan approved in respect of the licence.

The main focus of the second month of the Government Programme on Tackling Hygiene Black Spots is to combat hygiene black spots with illegal shop front extensions leading to street obstructions.

The Government appeals to shop operators and other stakeholders not to extend their business areas illegally by placing goods or articles in public places or on carriageways causing an obstruction to pedestrian and vehicular flow. 

The department added that it, along with Police, will continue to closely monitor and take stringent enforcement actions to tackle the city’s shop front extension problem.