The ventilation system of Lucky Star Bread Shop, located at 37 Ma Tau Kok Road in To Kwa Wan, generated excessive noise at night which caused nuisance to nearby residents. The responsible person of the bakery was fined $5,000 at Kwun Tong Magistrates' Courts today (September 20) for contravening the Noise Control Ordinance (NCO).
　　
A spokesman for the Environmental Protection Department (EPD) said that the department received a complaint from a nearby resident at the end of last year about the excessive noise generated from a bakery located on Ma Tau Kok Road. EPD enforcement officers conducted investigation and assessment and confirmed that the noise generated by the bakery's ventilation system at night exceeded the statutory limit. A noise abatement notice was issued to request for improvement. EPD staff then made a follow-up inspection in February and found that the noise generated from the bakery's ventilation system at night reached 62 decibels (dB) and still exceeded the statutory limit by 7dB. The department then initiated prosecution against the responsible person of the bakery.
　　
The spokesman reminded all operators of food premises to carry out regular inspection and maintenance of ventilation systems installed at their premises. They should hire a professional contractor to replace the parts and install noise control equipment for their ventilation systems to ensure their normal operation and avoid generating excessive noise and causing noise nuisance to nearby residents.
　　
According to the NCO, anyone who violates the requirements of a noise abatement notice commits an offence. First-time offenders are liable to a maximum fine of $100,000. A maximum fine of $200,000 may be imposed on second or subsequent conviction.
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