RESIDENTS were shown just how much trouble discarded chewing gum can cause.

Cherwell District Council say it has to clean up thousands of pieces of the sticky stuff across Banbury, Bicester and Kidlington.

But in a bid to tackle the problem head-on, its enforcement team brought its portable classroom to Banbury this week to show residents the extent of the gum problem. The show moves on to the other two locations in the coming days.

George Reynolds, Cherwell’s executive member for environment, health and recreation, said: “Each time we ask residents to voice their greatest concerns, litter comes back as the top answer.

“There’s really no excuse for dropping any type of litter and we would rather not have to fine people for doing so, “But chewing gum is a particular problem as it requires specific chemicals to separate the bonding agents, otherwise it cannot be successfully removed.

“We have to employ a specialist firm to do this work which costs a huge amount of taxpayers’ money and is not good for the environment.”

The council’s team were in Bridge Street, Banbury, from Monday until yesterday, and will be in High Street, Kidlington, today and Sheep Street, Bicester, tomorrow.

Staff will be on hand to talk to people about chewing gum issues and a gum-busting machine will be on hand to show people how difficult it is to clean up.

Cherwell say hiring the gum buster costs the council up to £20,000 a year.

Staff will also identify the five worst areas in each centre and then revisit them periodically to see if the campaign has had an effect.

And in the next few months enforcement officers will visit schools and talk to pupils about littering issues.

Helen Bingham, from Keep Britain Tidy, said: “We are delighted that Cherwell District Council is launching a campaign to tackle this issue.

“Chewing gum is the most difficult form of litter to deal with.

“It is costly to remove and causes staining to paved areas. It makes them look grimy, dirty and generally degrades an area.

“People must dispose of their gum responsibly.

“They should either wait until they are near a bin to remove it or put it in a bit of paper until they find a bin.”

Anyone caught dropping any type of litter, including chewing gum or cigarette ends, faces a fine of £75.