50 councils across the country are set to receive a share of almost £1.2 million to fight chewing gum on high streets.

This is the fifth round of funding from the Chewing Gum Task Force. Last year, estimated 629,750 m2 of pavements were cleaned.

The task force was established by the government in 2021 and is administered by Keep Britain Tidy. It is funded by gum manufacturers.

It aims to tackle littering behaviour and support local councils with access to specialist cleaning equipment.

Over the last five years, the task force has awarded grants worth over £8 million to more than 155 councils.

As well as grants for cleaning, councils receive support with gum litter prevention signage provided by social enterprise Behaviour Change.

The combination of targeted street cleaning and litter prevention signage has been proven to reduce gum littering by up to 86 per cent after two months, with a reduced rate of gum littering still being observed six months later in over 72 per cent of locations.

Allison Ogden-Newton OBE, Keep Britain Tidy’s chief executive, said: “While chewing gum litter remains a stubborn eyesore in our public spaces, the good news is that this scheme is already driving major improvements.  

“As an environmental charity, we know that every piece of gum dropped irresponsibly damages the environment, taking years to break down naturally, while also leaving taxpayers to foot the bill for costly clean-up operations."

Naomi Jones, Corporate Affairs Director at Mars Wrigley UK, said: "Mars Wrigley is proud to co-fund the impactful work of the Chewing Gum Task Force. Over £1m will be spent cleaning up and preventing gum litter in 50 locations around the UK this year. This approach has been proven to achieve sustained reductions in gum littering, by encouraging responsible disposal and changing consumer behaviour."