CHELMSFORD City Council has launched a campaign against littering, with a focus on chewing gum.

The city council used chalk to highlight the sticky problem in Trinity Square, South Woodham Ferrers.

Hundreds of blots of chewing gum were circled on the street, creating an attention- grabbing display that shows just how much of a problem gum is.

The issue is not confined to South Woodham Ferrers – nationally, removing the sticky stuff from pavements costs taxpayers thousands.

In the Chelmsford area alone, the council spends £64,000 every year on jet- washing it from the streets.

In addition to literally highlighting the problem, council officers patrolled the area during May to hand out free ‘pocket bins’ for gum and warn residents of the consequences of littering.

Dropping a piece of gum can get litter-bugs stuck with a fine of £75.

This is the second time that this campaign has been carried out.

Last year, officers focused on the area around Duke Street and the bus station in Chelmsford city centre, using yellow temporary paint. The highlighted dots received huge amounts of interest and the council hopes that they will have a big im - pact in South Woodham Ferrers too.

Suzanne Lawson, Service Development Team Leader at Chelmsford City Council, said, “Removing chewing gum from our streets is a long and costly process because it sticks so hard.

“We’ll be back to clean these blots from Trinity Square, but wanted to show residents just how big a problem this is.

“Don’t be a part of it: wrap it, pocket it, bin it.”