Fighting the gum menace

8:36am Thursday 3rd July 2008

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TWO hundred thousand - that is the number of chewing- gum stains that litter the streets of Winchester.

The staggering number of "unsightly"

marks prompted businesses to back chewing gum removal as a priority for the new £2m Business Improvement District (BID).

Workmen with high-pressure hoses and other equipment designed to blast the sticky residue from the pavement have been cleaning across the city all week.

They are the latest in a succession of highly visible impacts the BID, which sees firms pay for extra services via a surcharge on their rates, has been making on the city streets. The BID is also responsible for funding two new Police Community Support Officers to patrol the city centre to tackle crime.

PCSOs Gemma Keane and Daniel Platt will spend 70 per cent of their time on high visibility patrol in the heart of the city and double the numbers of support officers from two to four.

They are equipped with high specification radios, linking them to every PubWatch and ShopWatch business to provide early warning about potential criminals and antisocial behaviour.

Keith Wilson, of Winchester City Centre Partnership, said: "Two hundred thousand was our best estimate.

We picked typical areas on each street across the BID area and measured a square metre of it and took the number of chewing gum marks and worked out an average.

That gave us a rough but representative figure. In certain areas it's a real eyesore - outside certain licensed premises and fast food venues for instance.

"This was a popular part of the business plan, coupled with cleaning of all the pavements as well. Once we're done then we can restore the pavements to their natural lustre."