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Appeal to remove defective advertising signs
The Buildings Department today (Tuesday) urged property and shop owners to take the initiative to remove poorly maintained or abandoned advertising signs for public safety.
The Senior Structural Engineer (Dangerous Buildings) of the department, Mr Robinson Chung, made the appeal in the light of a recent clearance operation carried out by the department to remove a number of abandoned advertising signs in Mong Kok.
Mr Chung said these signs were found to be potentially dangerous during a district-wide survey on advertising signs started in Mong Kok in September this year.
"So far we have inspected more than 1,600 signs in the area and 45 of them were found to be defective. They will be removed by the Buildings Department and the removal cost will be recovered from the owners.
"The survey on advertising signs will continue and similar clearance operations will be carried out in other districts," he said.
Mr Chung added that the department was enlisting the support of District Boards in conducting large-scale district-based clearance operations.
"In each operation, the department carries out systematic inspections and searches out any overhanging signboards which pose a threat to public safety.
"So far, the response from the District Boards has been encouraging and the operations are successful," he said.
Noting that public safety was the Government's prime concern, Mr Chung pointed out that it was the property or shop owners' responsibility to ensure safe installation and maintenance of advertising signs.
"There are more than 180,000 advertising signs in the territory and the figure increases by about six per cent each year.
"Before putting up overhanging signboards, people should seek professional advice for safe design and maintenance. They must also ensure that the signs are properly maintained after installation," he said:
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