A dusk ‘til dawn blitz on chewing gum is underway in Durham City.
The work is taking place over the next month, with cleansing teams hitting the streets from 8pm to 4am to get the job done with minimal disruption to the public.
The blitz is funded by a £27,418 grant that Durham County Council has secured from the Chewing Gum Task Force, which is managed by environmental charity Keep Britain Tidy.
It will start on Claypath, before moving on to Silver Street and Framwellgate Bridge and finishing on North Road.
Research has shown that similar schemes in other parts of the country have had lasting effects, with a reduced rate of gum littering still being observed six months after clean-up.
Allison Ogden-Newton OBE, Keep Britain Tidy’s chief executive, said: “Chewing gum litter is highly visible on our high streets, so the support for councils, provided by the Chewing Gum Task Force and the gum manufacturers, is very welcome.
“However, once the gum has been cleaned up, it is vital to remind the public that when it comes to litter, whether it’s gum or anything else, there is only one place it should be – in the bin.
“That is why the behaviour change element of the task force’s work is so important.”
Keep Britain Tidy estimates that cleaning up chewing gum costs UK councils around £7million a year, and around 77 per cent of England’s streets are stained with gum.
The Chewing Gum Task Force is funded by major gum manufacturers including Mars Wrigley and Perfetti Van Melle.