THE battle against people who discard chewing gum on pavements and in public spaces has been stepped up in an Essex town with news of Government funding to help combat the problem.

THE battle against people who discard chewing gum on pavements and in public spaces has been stepped up in an Essex town with news of Government funding to help combat the problem.

Colchester Borough Council has become one of only two local authorities in the East of England to receive funding from the Chewing Gum Action Group (CGAG) to run a special campaign.

But officers across the borough are already due to step up enforcement of the law to try and minimise the amount of gum that leaves pavements unsightly and can be very difficult to clean up after it has been trodden underfoot.

The campaign will use a mixture of advertising, alternative disposal and enforcement measures to reduce gum litter in badly-hit areas.

There will also be close engagement with the local communities in order to disseminate the longer-term message behind the advertising slogan of: “Thanks for binning your gum when you're done”.

Yesterday Christopher Arnold, Colchester Borough Council's cabinet member for street services and waste, said the message would be backed with education for youngsters and the issuing of £75 fixed penalty notices for those who continue to discard their gum on the street.

“We had been gearing ourselves up for a real hit on all forms of littering in any case,” Mr Arnold said.

“We have a new member of staff who is beginning a joint approach of educating the age groups where this is a problem and we are making sure we have a team of people ready and willing to issue enforcement notices.”

CGAG was formed in 2003 and consists of chewing gum manufacturers, the Local Government Association, the Chartered Institution of Wastes Management, ENCAMS - who run the 'Keep Britain Tidy' campaign - the Department for Education and Skills (DfES), the Improvement and

Development Agency and Defra.

Mr Arnold said: “We want people to pick this message up in schools and colleges and through the advertising campaign.

“We will do that side first, to make them realise that if that is the way they behave they can expect a penalty notice even if they are teenagers.

“We want people to know we are very serious about this.”