450 hours spent removing chewing gum from Pendle's streets (From Burnley and Pendle Citizen)

450 hours spent removing chewing gum from Pendle's streets

10:29am Monday 27th April 2009 in News By Jon Livesey, Reporter

MORE than 450 hours have been spent removing chewing gum from Pendle’s streets in less than three years.

Figures released under the Freedom of Information Act revealed 450.2 hours have been spent tackling the sticky situation since May 2006.

The two-strong ‘gum-busting’ team, employed by Pendle Borough Council, use powerful jet washers to remove the chewing gum.

But councillors said it remains a problem in the borough and urged people to stop dropping it on pavements and to use bins instead.

The figures show that council staff have carried out removal operations in Nelson, Colne, Brierfield, Barnoldswick, Barrowford and Earby.

Between May and November 2006 the team laboured, removing chewing gum, for 181 hours – the equivalent of more than four working weeks.

A further 163 hours were spent in 2007, followed by 94 in 2008, but just five hours have been devoted to the task so far this year.

Coun Eileen Ansar, who runs Slick clothes shop in Nelson town centre, said the problem was horrendous.

“It’s all over the place outside Pendle Rise shopping centre,” she said.

“It’s really bad.

“It doesn’t make nice viewing for peple coming into the town centre at all. It’s an eyesore.

“It sticks to people’s shoes and gets dragged into carpets when they go into shops or ruins tiles.

The figures show gum has been removed from town centres, outside Brierfield Mosque and the Fosters Arms bus shelter, Barnoldswick.

Coun John David, leader of Pendle council, said: “We do have a problem with gum in Pendle and we take a lot of time and effort scraping it off our pavements.

“No-one wants to get gum on their shoes and it looks a mess on our pavements too.

“People need to remember that gum counts as litter.

“They risk having to pay a £75 fine for dropping it.

“What they need to do is use a litter bin – and we provide plenty of those.”