Chewing gum to be scraped off the streets in these Lancashire town centres
Chewing gum is to be prized off the streets of Pendle - and a campaign launched to encourage the people who drop it to stop blighting the borough by their actions.
A team from Pendle Council will deep clean the Brierfield, Nelson and Colne town centres, removing gum that has become ground into pavements.
Signs will then be erected on railings and litter bins as a reminder to bin used gum - not just throw it on the floor.
Council leader David Whipp said the problem is “highly visible on our streets and is both difficult and expensive to clean up”.
“However, once the gum has been cleaned up, it is vital to remind people that when it comes to litter, whether it’s gum or anything else, there is only one place it should be – in the bin, he added.
Pendle Council was previously awarded £25,000 from Keep Britain Tidy to buy equipment to carry out the work and provide preventative signage.
David Walker, the authority’s assistant director of operational services, said: “Last summer, the equipment allowed us to clean the areas surrounding the train station, bus station and taxi rank in Nelson and the bus station in Colne.
“These areas were monitored after cleaning - and it was found gum littering had reduced.
“But we need to keep on top of the situation – and keep repeating the messages – and that is why we will be out on the streets again with the gum busting equipment in a bid to keep Pendle tidy.”