Chemical gumbuster tackles sticky problem

Crawley Borough Council has begun piloting the use of Protect It - a solution which prevents gum sticking to the pavement.

A 50sqm area in the Martlets outside County Mall was the first to receive the treatment.

It was coated with the liquid in the first experiment of its kind in mainland UK and the results have been encouraging.

Chewing gum costs UK councils almost £150 million to remove each year.

Crawley is one of 20 local authorities trying the new chemical.

The Gumbusters campaign, launched by Westminster City Council, is calling for Plymouth-based Wrigley, who make 90 per cent of gum sold, to add 1p to every pack to pay for the bill.

One stick of gum currently costs 3p to make and 10p to remove from the streets.

Peter Browning, head of amenity services at Crawley, said: "The scheme is going well and early signs are encouraging but we need to use it for a longer period before we decide if we're going to increase the areas we cover or not.

"We're saying the chewing gum industry should be contributing towards the clean-up campaign."

If the free trial by manufacture Total Surface Solutions and cleaning company Aqua Force is successful, the council will seek the necessary funding to use Protect It more widely in the town.

It has earmarked £14,000 in this year's budget to clean chewing gum off the town's streets.

In Horsham and its surrounding villages £60,000 a year is spent on cleaning up discarded gum.

Horsham District Council has been awarded £40,000 by the Department for the Environment to buy equipment to help clean up the mess.

The Protect It liquid removes the need for the machinery.

Brighton and Hove City Council uses a gum removal machine to remove the sticky substance.

A spokesman said: "We have considered this product but we don't think it's the most cost-effective solution for Brighton and Hove.

"It costs approximately £8 per square metre, whereas the way we remove gum at the moment costs about 50p per square metre."