FLINTSHIRE Council is one of five Welsh local authorities to receive funding to help them clean gum off pavements.

The £1.85 million Chewing Gum Taskforce Grant Scheme will help the council tackle chewing gum litter in the local area this summer and to invest in long-term behaviour change to help prevent the issue in future.

Chewing gum litter wastes millions of pounds of taxpayers’ money every year; the annual clean-up cost across the UK is estimated at £7 million.

Under the scheme, administered by independent environmental charity Keep Britain Tidy, the chewing gum firms will invest up to £10 million over five years.

READ MORE: Flintshire independents demand council staff return to workplace

More than 45 grants will be awarded this year across the UK and six of these will be used to fund innovative projects that encourage long-term behaviour change.

Lee Waters, deputy climate change minister,  said: "The need to get rid of chewing gum immediately after use means it is an item commonly disposed of irresponsibly, with gum staining present on more than two thirds of Wales’ streets.

"Cleaning streets of gum is expensive and labour intensive. I’m really pleased this new fund has been established to support councils across Wales and encourage people to think about the issues caused by chewing gum litter."

READ MORE: Row breaks out over rising cost of Flintshire school redevelopment

Allison Ogden-Newton OBE, chief executive of Keep Britain Tidy, added: "This is an exciting new opportunity for councils to tackle the ongoing problem of gum pollution.

"The grants will allow councils to clean up historic gum litter staining in our towns and cities, as well as taking action to prevent people littering in the first place."

The fund will be opened to councils across the UK, with larger grants available for two or more councils working together to achieve greater impact.

The grants will consist of a cash award to fund street cleansing as well as access to a gum litter prevention package. Previous pilots have reduced gum littering by up to 64 per cent.

Littering is a criminal offence and Welsh local authorities can issue penalties of up to £150, rising up to £2,500 if convicted in court.

Through the UK Environment Act 2022, the Welsh Government said it will be able to ensure that enforcement powers are used with a high degree of professionalism, whether by council staff or private contractors and introduce new enforcement guidance.

The Chewing Gum Task Force forms part of wider Welsh Government action to tackle litter and protect our environment. This includes developing a new litter and fly-tipping prevention plan, introducing a new deposit return scheme for drinks containers and an extended producer responsibility scheme for packaging.