Hygiene standards have dropped in several districts despite an overall improvement in cleanliness throughout the city
Hong Kong put on a cleaner public face this summer but standards slipped in its notoriously grubby back alleys and public toilets, despite efforts to improve them.
And while there was a slight improvement in overall cleanliness, standards fell in seven districts, with Sha Tin faring worst.
These are the findings by the Home Affairs Department in the first release of its quarterly Community Cleanliness Index, set up in response to a call by the government's Team Clean as part of the post-Sars cleanup campaign.
The findings drew an angry response from Sha Tin District Council, which demanded to know how the department determined that its index had plunged almost nine points from the baseline 100 to 91.3 between May and August.
Neighbouring Tai Po recorded the biggest improvement, with its index reaching 111.3.
