Rats, posters, leaking air con units next for the chop
Dripping air conditioners, vermin and unauthorised posters are among a series of "longstanding, big and difficult" nuisances that the government is hoping to wipe out with planned law changes aimed at cleaning up the city's streets. For the next two months, the administration is seeking people's views on proposals to tackle a variety of environmental hygiene and street management problems. These include allowing Food and Environmental Hygiene Department (FEHD) officers to clear away shop goods blocking pavements – so they don't have to get help from the police – and letting the department set up equipment to keep tabs on vermin infestations.  The government also wants stiffer punishments for people who put up posters without permission, and to extend the hours that officials can enter properties to investigate water seepage, or units suspected of being "garbage apartments".   "We understand that there may be various views in the community on the various environmental hygiene problems. We are therefore conducting a two-month public consultation to earnestly listen to the community's views on the legislative amendment proposals before finalising them," a spokesman said. Higher fines for environmental hygiene and street management offences came into effect just under a month ago.  The penalty for littering or spitting in a public place was doubled to HK$3,000, while shops that put their goods out on the pavement can now be hit with a HK$6,000 fine, up from HK$1,500 previously.