Council gets cash boost for chewing gum clean-up

The cash will be used to clean up stains around Kirklees chewing gum "hotspots"

Kirklees Council has been handed £25,500 to tackle mess in chewing gum "hotspots”.

The cash will come from the Chewing Gum Task Force - funded by gum manufacturers - and will be used to clean up dirty stains left behind by the habit.

Teams will target areas including South Street and the surrounding streets in Dewsbury, and the district around John William Street in Huddersfield.

The council will work alongside Huddersfield BID, which will be completing the clean-up over the coming weeks.

Following the gum removal, signs will be put up to encourage people to dispose of their gum in a bin, the Local Democracy Reporting Service said.

Councillor Munir Ahmed, cabinet member for environment and highways, said: “We are delighted to have been awarded this grant, funded by the chewing gum industry, to help us tackle the problem of gum litter across our borough.

“The removal work at chewing gum hotspots will get these areas looking their best and complement our ongoing programme of regeneration work within our town centres."

Established by the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs and run by environmental charity Keep Britain Tidy, the grants are funded by major gum manufacturers including Mars, Wrigley and Perfetti Van Melle.

Kirklees is one of 54 local authorities that have successfully applied for a grant in the latest funding round.

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