Jeddah Municipality spokesman Sami Al-Ghamdi said that inspection teams shut down more than 50 unlicensed food stalls and issued warnings to another 60.

“Inspection teams are working alongside other authorities to eliminate the presence of illegal vendors,” he said in a statement to Arab News, adding that citizens are encouraged to report violations to the toll-free number 940.

Al-Ghamdi indicated that the number of unlicensed stalls tend to increase in the days leading up to Eid, particularly in the historic district of Al-Balad. Illegal expatriate workers, he explained, erect stalls randomly causing inconvenience to customers and over-crowding.

Ali Alwarni, a long-time resident of Jeddah, said he witnessed more stalls this year in the old market, urging the municipality to allocate a specific location for vendors and streamline licenses to reduce the chaos.