The government on Monday said it is mulling bringing prosecutions against the owners of ten upmarket houses at Villa Rosa in Tai Tam for having unauthorised structures on government land.

In a Facebook Post, the Development Bureau said the Lands Department had ordered the owners to stop illegally encroaching on government land by the end of this year.

Those who fail to comply risk prosecution under the Land (Miscellaneous Provisions) Ordinance, with maximum penalties of up to a year in jail and potential multimillion dollar fines.

It follows a move last year by the Buildings Department and the Lands Department to mount a crackdown on properties suspected of having unauthorised extensions.

They adopted what they described as a "risk-based approach" after a landslide in September last year revealed a host of problems at another luxury development in Tai Tam, the Redhill Peninsula.

Officials found that 70 out of 85 homes they looked into following the landslide at Redhill were suspected of having unauthorised structures, with almost half also believed to by illegally encroached on government land.

The bureau added that the Buildings Department and the Lands Department has since conducted joint enforcement actions at three other upscale residential complexes: Beaulieu Peninsula in Tuen Mun, Seaview Villas in Tai Po, and Flamingo Garden in Sai Kung.