Published on 22nd November 2016

View of Royal Well Place from Clarence Street

Council contractors will target Royal Well’s sticky problem when they work to remove chewing gum from the pavements.

The work will take place in and around the bus shelter from 6am on Sunday 4 December.  It follows a programme of work in the spring which cleaned up Upper High Street, Lower High Street and the Promenade.

The chewing gum is removed using high pressure steam.  The rapid expansion of the water into steam creates effective cleaning power.  The benefit of this type of cleaning is that it’s very gentle on stone and other surfaces, in addition to being environmentally friendly and posing no risk to the public.

Councillor Chris Coleman, cabinet member for clean and green environment said:  ‘’I am pleased that work is starting once again to get unsightly chewing gum off our streets.

‘’Using this equipment, each piece of gum can be removed in one second. Other chewing gum removal processes rely on chemicals which are damaging to the environment so we have been very careful in deciding on the type of process to use.

‘’I ask those who discard chewing gum in this way to consider their surroundings and the cost to the taxpayer; please wrap it and bin it.’’

As chewing gum is removed, some clean patches will be noticeable for a few days until the paving stones re-weather.

A fixed penalty notice can be issued to anyone seen dropping and leaving chewing gum. The penalty is £80 with a total of 14 days to pay, there is an opportunity to pay a reduced amount of £50 if paid within 10 days of receiving the notice.

 

Contact: Katie Sandey, communications and web team leader, telephone 01242 775037, email [email protected]