5:30am Monday 15th December 2008
AROUND 450,000 pieces of chewing gum have been purged from the streets of Winchester.
The announcement was made by the city's Business Improvement District, which has co-ordinated the work.
A few of the pieces removed in the medieval centre are thought to be up to 20 or 30-years-old.
Clearing the backlog is one of the priorities for the BID, which is funded by Winchester traders. Removing the gum costs £10,000 per year.
Workers from specialists, GumClear, have already tackled several of the city's main thoroughfares. They include High Street, Jewry Street, St George's Street, City Road, The Broadway, Chesil Street and Bridge Street.
During the work, which has taken several months so far, the pavements are spray-cleaned. The gum disintegrates, leaving no marks, and the chemicals used in the process can be recycled for plant food.
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