Freshers and other students starting in September will arrive just in time to for Preston Council's latest gum-litter crackdown.

More than 20 people were fined for this offence during the last campaign, which ran in the city centre over a fortnight last October. Chewing gum litter fell by 76%.

The new campaign - dubbed 'I'd hate to burst your bubble' - will see the fines extended outside the city centre for the first time.

It will cover the heart of the city for a month, before being extended to the area around the UCLan campus.

Council officers will hand out gum disposal pouches and encourage people to stick old gum on special boards on lampposts.

Coun Keith Sedgewick said the sticky mess must be removed by a special gum-blasting machine which fires steam onto pavements to lift them off, a costly exercise.

He added: "Carelessly discarded chewing gum causes a big problem for the council. This campaign is about re-educating people so that they think twice about dropping gum on the streets.

"We want people to start appreciating the problems that it creates, so they will change their behaviour and help keep Preston clean."

Alun Michael, local environment quality minister, said: "Discarded gum that sticks to the streets and other public property is more than just a nuisance. It costs taxpayers thousands to clean up every year."

The campaign will be launched at Preston Flag Market on Saturday.