The Housing Department will assign four special squads to combat illegal cooked-food hawking at public rental housing estates over the Lunar New Year holidays, targeting black spots in Kowloon, Kwai Chung and Sha Tin.

Illegal hawking poses serious obstruction problems over the festive period - a popular time for shopping and eating, Assistant Director of Housing Lai Ip-cheung said.

He urged tenants not to buy from illegal cooked-food hawkers as the fare prepared was not hygienic. He encouraged them to contact their estate-management offices to report hawking activities.