New kit prompts town chewing gum clean-up

Lewis Freeman says littered chewing gum is a "massive issue" in the area

Street cleaners in the Leicestershire town of Ashby-de-la-Zouch are encouraging people to properly dispose of their chewing gum as work to tackle the mess gets under way.

North West Leicestershire District Council has purchased specialist equipment after receiving a £7,200 grant from Keep Britain Tidy's chewing gum task force in the summer.

The kit, which removes the gum using a water and sugar-based solution, is accompanied by signage which will be on display across the district to deter people from littering.

"It's a massive issue. It makes the town look untidy, and we're trying to clamp down on it as it impacts the wildlife," said Lewis Freeman, who is part of the council's street cleansing department.

The kit removes gum using a water and sugar-based solution

"As a normal pedestrian, you would not notice how big of an issue this is. It's very frustrating," he added.

"Please put your gum in the bin, take it home or wrap it up. Just don't put it on the ground."

Street crews, who usually deal with fly-tipping, will be out until the end of October, scraping chewing gum off the streets of Ashby, Coalville, Measham and Castle Donington.

Lily Walker says teams are not as effective without the specialist equipment

"It is time-consuming and is a prevalent issue because some of the gum litter has been here for a while. The staff are putting in a great effort," said Lily Walker, the recycle more officer at the council.

"It's particularly bad around bins and I think that's people trying to do the right thing, but - when they miss the bin - they then don't take the effort to put it in the bin.

"In the past, we've not had the specialist equipment. Without the tools, the teams have not been as effective in tackling gum litter."

The council is one of 54 across the country to have successfully applied for the money to tackle the problem.

The funding for the equipment has been provided by chewing gum manufacturers, the council added.