Peterborough misses out on funding to clear chewing gum from city centre streets

The city council applied to The Government and Keep Britain Tidy for a slice of the £1.2 million worth of grants handed out to other authorities across the country to help them clear the sticky, unsightly mess from their pavements.

While councils including Glasgow, Fermanagh and Omagh, Bradford and Cardiff were all given funding this year – and scores of others have been given cash since the scheme was started in 2022 – Peterborough has not been given a penny.

In fact, £4.88 million to 122 councils in the three years the scheme has been running.

When the Peterborough Telegraph took a trip into the city centre, there were countless circles of black, discarded gum littering the streets, including in Cathedral Square, Cowgate, Bourges Boulevard and Long Causeway.

Cllr Angus Ellis, Cabinet Member for Environment and Transport, said: “We have previously applied for this initiative but unfortunately our bid was not successful.

“Like many towns and cities, chewing gum on pavements is an issue in Peterborough, and we regularly work to remove freshly-dropped gum from Bridge Street and Cathedral Square. We would urge members of the public to dispose of chewing gum correctly by placing it in bins.

"The council will, alongside its existing efforts, continue to explore and apply to external funding initiatives as they arise to help address this issue.”

The Government said that innovative plans will benefit from the latest round of grants. For instance, using the latest technology, Bradford Metropolitan District Council plans to deploy specialist steam cleaners, while Cheshire Council will hire new specialists to undertake intensive cleaning in areas with high public footfall.

Along with providing funding for cleaning initiatives, the funding is also designed to help councils encourage people to dispose of gum properly, and prevent littering.

Allison Ogden-Newton OBE, Keep Britain Tidy’s chief executive, said: “Chewing gum continues to be an unsightly form of litter in our public spaces – though thankfully the scheme is leading to significant reductions. People need to remember that disposing irresponsibly of their gum causes harm to our environment as it takes years to decompose naturally – and, ultimately, costs the public purse to clean it up.”