South Hams and West Devon Councils have been awarded a £23,590 grant to help clean chewing gum from local streets and reduce gum littering.

The funding comes from the Chewing Gum Task Force, now in its fourth year, and is administered by the environmental charity Keep Britain Tidy. A total of 52 councils across the UK were successful in this year’s round, which aims not only to remove discarded gum but also to change public behaviour around littering.

Funded by gum manufacturers including Mars Wrigley and Perfetti Van Melle, the scheme will see up to £10 million invested over five years. Councils can use the money for deep cleaning and installing signage to encourage proper disposal.

Monitoring by the social enterprise Behaviour Change has shown promising results: a drop in gum littering by up to 80% in the first two months, with reductions still visible six months later.

Councillor Jacqi Hodgson, South Hams Executive Member for Waste, said: “The continued support means we can tackle problem areas. We hope the public will be more thoughtful in how they dispose of their gum to help the streets stay cleaner.”

Councillor Christopher West, West Devon’s Lead Member for Climate Change and Biodiversity, added: “It’s a positive way for the industry to help solve the littering issue that it creates. We hope this cleaning work reminds people how much nicer our streets look without gum.”

According to Keep Britain Tidy, 77% of England’s streets and 99% of retail areas are stained with gum, costing UK councils an estimated £7 million each year.

Keep Britain Tidy chief executive Allison Ogden-Newton OBE said: “People need to remember that disposing of gum irresponsibly harms the environment and costs the public purse.”