Work starts to clean up chewing gum on Stoke-on-Trent streets

A taskforce has begun clearing up chewing gum that has been discarded in Stoke-on-Trent

A taskforce has begun cleaning up chewing gum litter discarded on streets in Stoke-on-Trent.

Work has started after the local authority secured a £25,000 grant from the government's chewing gum taskforce.

Stoke-on-Trent Council is one of more than 40 councils to be awarded funding to tackle chewing gum on pavements.

Paul Evison, the local authority's service manager for street care and green space, said the taskforce was operating in several locations.

"I believe [in] five areas, we have increased the number of areas and that's over the next two months," he said.

"The busy locations, so in front of the bus station, the Potteries Centre, in front and around the pavements around there," he explained.

Signs encouraging members of the public to bin chewing gum have been added

He said he hoped the clean-up campaign and signs, which ask people to bin gum, would make a "big difference" to the city centre.

"We're hoping it's going to make a significant change moving forward, education makes a big difference as well," he added.