Liverpool City Council has announced a new £27,500 grant from the Chewing Gum Task Force to clean up chewing gum litter in the city centre, following widespread criticism from residents and a front-page story in the Liverpool ECHO highlighting the 'tatty, dirty' state of the area.
Residents 'Gobsmacked' by City Centre Grime
The ECHO's report this weekend featured images and accounts from the Liverpool1207 social media account, showing litter, bird poo, and chewing gum blighting key areas. Many readers expressed dismay. Neil Gallagher said: 'It's hard to disagree sadly. I have been to dozens of cities across the UK in the last few years and you don't see as much litter, you really have to wonder why?' Jenny Woodworth added: 'I've never seen it so dirty in my near 40-years here. The litter, the smell, the dumping of household items, the pavements are grotty.' Deborah Osu Branegan commented: 'I was in the city centre last week, I haven't been into town for some time, and I was gobsmacked at how dirty it was.'
£27,500 Grant for Gum Removal
In response, the council revealed it has secured a £27,500 grant from the Chewing Gum Task Force, administered by environmental charity Keep Britain Tidy. This is the fourth consecutive year Liverpool has received such funding, totalling more than £100,000. The grants have enabled investment in specialist machinery and dedicated staff to remove gum from streets, focusing on residential neighbourhoods and high-profile areas. The latest award will continue this work and step up engagement with residents and visitors about the impact of gum litter.
Task Force Background and Impact
The Chewing Gum Task Force grant scheme, established by the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) and run by Keep Britain Tidy, is open to councils across the UK. It is funded by major gum manufacturers including Mars Wrigley and Perfetti Van Melle, with an investment of up to £10 million over five years. Over the past four years, the Task Force has awarded grants totalling £6.46 million, funding the cleaning of over 4.15 million square metres of pavements. Monitoring by Behaviour Change, a not-for-profit social enterprise, showed up to an 86% reduction in gum littering in the first two months after cleaning and signage installation, with reductions still observed at six months.
Council's Broader Street Scene Investment
A council spokesperson said: 'This year we are heavily investing in our street scene services, which includes street cleansing and waste removal, and have put aside over £7.5 million to tackle these issues over the next two years. As part of this investment, we are currently bringing in 12 more street washers to focus on areas that need additional street washing, increasing the team’s numbers by 300%. Our environmental enforcement teams speak to local businesses about correct waste management daily and have a zero-tolerance approach to fly-tipping. Where investigations find those responsible, appropriate action is taken. However, we also urge people to take responsibility for their own rubbish. We are constantly cleaning up litter and waste that irresponsible people have dropped. If people just placed their rubbish into a bin, took it to a recycling centre, or disposed of it at home, we would be able to focus our efforts elsewhere and invest in other vital Council services.'
