Bin your chewing gum, don’t drop it on the ground is the message after deep cleaning which included the removal of chewing gum from pavements, took place in South Street, Romford.
The works between Victoria Road and Market Place were carried out during the evening and overnight last week. The deep clean also saw signage and street benches cleaned, improving the look and feel of the area.
Funding for the works – Havering has a share of a £70,000 grant along with Barking and Dagenham Council – comes from a Chewing Gum Taskforce set up by DEFRA [Department for Environment, Food & Rural Affairs] and which is run by environmental charity, Keep Britain Tidy.
The cleaning includes using specialist equipment to lift the grime and stains caused by chewing gum being dropped on to the pavements.
Residents and visitors to the borough are asked to put their chewing gum in a bin or take it with them until they can get rid of it. New signage will soon be going up in the area to remind people, together with a roll-out of a new enforcement team who will have the power to issue fines for littering, in the coming months,
Councillor Barry Mugglestone, Havering’s Cabinet Member for Environment, said:
“Our message is simple – don’t drop your chewing gum, stick it in the bin, so we can all enjoy a cleaner borough.
“It is so annoying when you find chewing gum stuck to your shoe or see it stuck to the pavements because someone has been too lazy to find a bin.
“I’m pleased to see the pavements looking cleaner, and feeling fresher and nicer to spend time in. We need everyone’s help to make sure it stays like that.”