Chewing gum, be gone! Grimsby's main shopping areas undergo clean-up to remove stains

                                                                

Got it! Cllr Swinburn targets a pesky bit of gum 

CHEWING gum stains in parts of Grimsby town centre are being cleaned up over the next three weeks. 

Specialist contractors Eco Removal System are using a detergent, made from sugar beet, which is heated, then squirted on to the gum to vaporise it.

With this method, there is no need to cordon off pavements, so it is less disruptive than a jet washer or similar.

Cleaning started on 18 October and is due to be completed by 31 October.

Says Cllr Stewart Swinburn, portfolio holder for Environment and Transport at North East Lincolnshire Council: "We submitted a bid earlier in the year to the UK Chewing Gum Task Force - and received £20,000 to cover the cost of the clean-up.

"This is similar to a clean-up we undertook in Cleethorpes last autumn."

The portfolio holder adds: "It would be much better if people put their gum in a bin rather than leaving it to stain the streets."

It is understood some, if not all, of the funding has come from gum manufacturers such as gum manufacturers including Mars Wrigley and Perfetti Van Melle on the principle that the polluter pays.