New visa restrictions have been imposed on mainland Chinese entering Hong Kong as the territory’s government tries to cool tempers on the borders.

Increasing protests on the border have led to physical clashes as hundreds of traders cross into Hong Kong each day to buy goods to resell back in the mainland at inflated prices.

Mainland visitors have been accused of buying up daily essentials such as infant formula and diapers in Hong Kong, and crowding public transport services.

Now, the mainland government has moved to restrict Shenzhen’s permanent residents holding multiple entry visas to just one visit per week to Hong Kong. The move is expected to reduce the number of visitors to the city by as many as 4.6 million a year and cut Shenzhen visitors by about 30 per cent.

According to information posted online, and translated by the Sunday Morning Post newspaper in Hong Kong, the visits cannot be accrued – they must be used each week or they are forfeited. No date is as yet indicated for the new ruling to take place.

The notice set out details of the arrangement – restricting the number of trips by multiple-entry permit holders to one a week – although it did not say when the change would be implemented. The trips cannot be saved up; they must be used or they will be lost.

Shenzhen police and Hong Kong government sources confirmed the new arrangement to the Sunday Morning Post.

The Hong Kong government confirmed it had submitted a proposal to the mainland government to modify the multiple-entry policy.

“Any adjustment to the policy is pending the central government’s announcement,” it said in a statement.

A Hong Kong government source told the newspaper the restriction would help crack down on parallel traders, who buy products in Hong Kong to resell at a profit across the border.

There have been increasing protests in the New Territories part of Hong Kong in recent months with physical clashes breaking out.

However, the Sunday Morning Post quotes Shenzhen residents saying they do not believe the move will address the problem – claiming 60 per cent of the traders are Hong Kong residents crossing into the mainland.

A spokesman from The North District Parallel Imports Concern Group said he doubted the move would work.

“Parallel-trading syndicates would just employ different people to do the job,” he said.