All street food in Bangkok will be banned by the end of 2017, according to the city government, local media reported today.

The move will impact all 50 districts in the Thai capital, said Wanlop Suwandee, chief adviser to Bangkok's governor, according to a report in The Nation newspaper.

The ban was slated to go into effect yesterday in three popular residential and commercial districts - Thong Lor, Ekkamai and Phra Khanong.

Because street vendors are typically prohibited from operating on Mondays, however, the ban was expected to go into effect today.

Chinatown and the popular backpacker district Khao San Road will be the government's next targets, Wanlop said.

"The street vendors have seized the pavement space for too long and we already provide them with space to sell food and other products legally in the market, so there will be no let-up in this operation," Wanlop said.

"Every street vendor will have to move out," he added, according to The Nation. Cleanliness and street safety are priorities for the city's metropolitan authority, Wanlop said.

Bangkok was named the world's top street food destination for the second straight year in March, according to CNN.

- dpa