Less of the spit and more of the polish as HK targets major cleanup.

(From Agence France Presse)

Elderly Cheng Yim-ting crouches to towel off her lively terrier Sum after their morning walk, before strolling toward her public housing flat, seemingly oblivious to the fact she is committing an offence that could lead to her being evicted.

The frail woman growls when told that under new sweeping government measures aimed at cleaning up Hong Kong following the SARS outbreak, keeping a pet in a public housing estate is strictly outlawed.

"I know what the government has ordered," she snaps. "But have they thought for a moment about what such orders will mean for pet owners and pets? Do we just throw our pets into garbage cans because they want us to?"

The Hong Kong government last week launched a series of schemes as part of a renewed drive to clean up filthy streets and building estates, seen as crucial in its bid to prevent a repeat of the Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS) outbreak.

Hong Kong is one of the worst hit SARS regions with nearly 280 fatalities since mid-March.

Included in the measures to come into force in August is a plan to hand down points for tenants who commit any of 19 listed offences, ranging from three points for drying clothes in public to seven for spitting.