A total of 4.59 tonnes of rubbish was collected in the Tsim Sha Tsui area on Christmas Eve, 10% less than a year earlier. A total of eight verbal warnings and 34 fixed penalty tickets were served to litterbugs.

The Leisure & Cultural Services Department said for the rubbish collected from 6pm yesterday to 4am today, 2 tonnes were cleared from litter bins at the Cultural Centre, 1.89 tonnes from litter bins on the Tsim Sha Tsui Promenade, Avenue of Stars and UC Centenary Garden, and 0.7 tonne from the ground.

Also, there were 140 verbal warnings given and 10 summonses issued for illegal hawking and one verbal warning for snow spraying. No public property was found vandalised with spray paint.

The department, together with the Food & Environmental Hygiene Department and Police, deployed law enforcement teams to patrol the Tsim Sha Tsui area and took action against littering, illegal hawking and vandalism of public property.

More litter bins were placed in the Tsim Sha Tsui area to maintain cleanliness, and additional workers were deployed to clear rubbish and perform overnight cleaning duties.