Council fights paan spit blighting Wembley streets

A rust-coloured mix of saliva and paan can be seen spattered in many parts of Wembley

Brent Council has revealed it spends more than £30,000 a year cleaning up pavements and buildings stained with a reddish-brown substance left behind by people spitting out a stimulant called paan.

Chewing paan is common in parts of north-west London, particularly around Wembley, where a rust-coloured mix of saliva and paan can be seen spattered in many places, including on telephone boxes and in flower-beds.

Paan consists of a mixture of ingredients including betel nut and leaf, herbs and tobacco which, when chewed, gives the user a narcotic effect.

The chewing tobacco is popular among members of the South East Asian community.

Even high-powered cleaning jets cannot remove some of the staining, according to the council

Brent Council has pledged to take a "zero-tolerance approach" to the problem, which, as well as being costly to clean up, it says causes "serious health and environmental damage".

It is often nearly impossible to completely erase the stubborn stains from the streets – with the local authority claiming that "even high-powered cleaning jets" cannot remove some of the marks.

As part of its crackdown, the Labour-run council has put up banners in three of the hotspots where it says paan-spitting is "a big problem".

There will also be enforcement officers on patrol, with perpetrators facing a potential fixed penalty notice of up to £100.

The council wants to help people kick the habit

The Brent Liberal Democrats have described the announcement as "far too little, far too late", claiming they have long been calling for action to be taken.

Their leader Paul Lorber said: "We demanded more enforcement in hotspot areas where spitting often takes place, and have even pushed for a ban on chewing tobacco because of the health dangers and the mess it leaves everywhere."

Krupa Sheth, cabinet member for the environment on Brent Council, said: "I am delighted that we continue to take a zero-tolerance approach to those who ruin our streets; that includes those that spit out paan and stain street furniture.

"Don't mess with Brent, because we will catch you and fine you."

Studies from the World Health Organization have shown betel to be carcinogenic, and so capable of raising the risk of cancer even without the tobacco seen in paan.