The National Environment Agency (NEA) has issued several warning letters to Aljunied-Hougang Punggol East Town Council for operating a Chinese New Year fair without a licence.

On Tuesday night, NEA officers visited the fair in front of Hougang Mall and told stallholders that they should not continue to operate there without a licence.

Stallholder Mr Goh Kwee Leng, 63, told The Straits Times that he was asked by the Council to set up the fair but he was not the operator. He said that he and three workers were each issued a summons.

Last month, a fair approved by the same council had to stop its operations because its organiser had failed to get a relevant licence from the NEA.

The previous month, 31 business owners had petitioned to the Council against such fairs which they said had damaged their trade.