A bid to remove chewing gum off streets in Westmorland & Furness has been given a £27,500 boost.
The area’s council has been successful in its bid to the Chewing Gum Task Force and the cash will pay for a Maxvac MV7000 Gladiator gum remover and associated activity to clean up streets.
The first areas to be targeted will be The Glebe at Bowness and areas in Barrow, including Dalkeith Street and Cavendish Street, as well as outside the shops in Ormsgill and Lesh Lane.
Councillor Giles Archibald, portfolio holder for climate, biodiversity and environmental services, said: “This funding is very welcome and I look forward to seeing it used to make a visible difference in our communities.
“Our street scene teams work tirelessly to help make our towns and villages great places to be and this extra support to tackle the sticky problem will make a significant contribution to their efforts.”
Estimates suggest the annual clean-up cost of chewing gum for councils in the UK is around £7 million and, according to Keep Britain Tidy, around 77% of England’s streets and 99% of retail sites are stained with gum.
