The Housing Department urges residents not to buy from illegal hawkers as it steps up efforts to eliminate illegal cooked food hawking activities in public housing estates.

"We would like to plea for support from all residents, 'Don't buy from illegal hawkers'. Only when we stop buying from them completely then the hawkers would not be able to exist," says the department's Assistant Director in charge of Estate Management, Lai Ip-cheung.

"Residents should contact respective estate management offices to report hawking activities," he added.

Departments work together to clamp down

The Food & Environmental Hygiene Department with the help of the Police and the Housing Department has succeeded in eliminating much of the illegal cooked food hawking at public housing estates.

It identified six food hawking black spots in estates and carried out more than 200 joint operations at Tai Wo Hau, Lei Muk Shue, Shek Lei (I), Lower Wong Tai Sin (II), Wah Fu and Lok Wah (North). More than 210 seizures were enforced and 44 suspected illegal hawkers arrested.

Illegal hawkers in the vicinity of the six estates were also being dealt with. They included Lower Wong Tai Sin (I) Estate, Shun Tin Estate, On Yam Estate, Kwai Fong Estate, Wong Chuk Hang Estate and Ap Lei Chau Estate.

The Housing Department will continue its actions against illegal hawking at other estates in phases.

Illegal food hawking harms the environment

Mr Lai noted that illegal cooked food hawking was harmful to the environment in estates and the food prepared was not hygienic.Residents living nearby these black spots where dozens of hawkers operating till midnight were greatly annoyed by the nuisance, he added.

"We are fully aware of the great mobility of illegal hawkers, therefore our efforts have to be sustainable enough to curb recurrent hawking.The Housing Department would take a zero-tolerance approach against illegal hawking and would use every possible means to eliminate the problem," he said.