COUNCIL SECURES £20,000 GRANT FOR CLEAN-UP OF GRIMSBY'S GUM-STAINED TOWN CENTRE

 

Signage such as this could soon start appearing in Grimsby town centre

A NEW blitz on street chewing gum deposits is being planned by North East Lincolnshire Council.

It has received a £20,000 grant from Whitehall to be spent both on cleansing our streets of the blight and on stopping it finding its way on to our pavements in the first place.

North East Lincolnshire Council is among the first winners of funding as part of the Government’s new Chewing Gum Task Force initiative.

Says Cllr Stewart Swinburn, NELC's portfolio holder for Environment and Transport: "It is great news that our bid for this funding was successful. 

"The £20,000 will be a big help for our street cleansing team and will improve the look of Grimsby town centre."

He continues: "Chewing gum stains are difficult and time-consuming to remove, often requiring specialist cleaning fluid and equipment.

"That's why we submitted a bid to help clean up the paving in Grimsby town centre, similar to what we did in Cleethorpes last year. We’ll be cleaning the paving in the next couple of months."

He adds: "Of course, it would be much better if people put their gum in a bin rather than leaving it to litter the streets."

Gum manufacturers such as Wrigley and Perfetti Van Melle are providing finance for the grant.

Funding will cover the purchase of cleaning equipment and signage.