The Food and Environmental Hygiene Department (FEHD), together with relevant departments, enforced closure orders today (May 8) against two food premises in Yau Ma Tei that have been persistently operating without a licence and causing serious street obstruction.

     The two food premises, located at Shop C-D and Shop A respectively on the ground floor of 29-35 Temple Street, have been operating without a licence and occupying the pavement and carriageways continuously, causing serious obstruction and environmental hygiene problems, as well as a great nuisance to residents nearby. From July 2022 to March this year, the FEHD received 437 complaints concerning the two restaurants, and conducted 132 blitz enforcement operations and instituted 306 prosecutions against their irregularities.

     A spokesman for the FEHD said, "The FEHD has been taking enforcement and regulatory actions against the blatant contraventions of these two food premises in question and deploying additional manpower to step up the enforcement actions. However, both restaurants continued to operate without a licence and obstruct public areas persistently, breaching the Food Business Regulation (Cap. 132X) and other related legislation repeatedly. The FEHD obtained closure orders from the court on April 30 against the premises concerned to completely rectify their irregularities."

     As the closure orders came into force today, staff of the FEHD and relevant departments entered the premises concerned this morning. They removed six gas cylinders that may pose a fire hazard and disposed of perishable food items from the premises, disconnected gas and water supplies and proceeded to lock and seal all entrances and exits.

     The spokesman said, "While the closure orders shall remain in force, the owner of the premises concerned may apply to the court to rescind the orders if measures are taken to ensure that there will be no reappearance of irregularities in the future."

     According to the Public Health and Municipal Services Ordinance (Cap. 132), unless with written permission from the FEHD, no person may enter or remain on any closed premises, failing of which is an offence and is liable on conviction to a maximum fine of $100,000, imprisonment for 12 months and a daily fine of $1,750. Moreover, any person who removes or defaces a closure order affixed to any premises, or breaks or interferes with any lock or seal made on closed premises without lawful authority or reasonable excuse, commits an offence and is liable on conviction to a maximum fine of $25,000 and imprisonment for six months.

     The spokesman stressed that the FEHD will continue to crack down on unlicensed food premises to safeguard food safety and public health. Operators are urged not to defy the law, while members of the public are urged to not patronise these premises.

Ends/Wednesday, May 8, 2024
Issued at HKT 19:21

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