North West Leicestershire District Council (NWLDC) is set to put plans in place to reduce littering and remove chewing gum from the district's streets - after successfully applying for a grant of £7,200.

The council is one of 54 across the country to have successfully applied for funding from the Chewing Gum Task Force, administered by environmental charity Keep Britain Tidy.

The money will be used to purchase specialist gum removal equipment, with signage, reminding people across Ashby and Coalville to bin their gum, also provided as part of the grant agreement.

Established by the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA) and run by environmental charity Keep Britain Tidy, the Chewing Gum Task Force is funded by major gum manufacturers including Mars Wrigley and Perfetti Van Melle, with an investment of up to £10 million spread over five years.

Monitoring and evaluation carried out by Behaviour Change – a not-for-profit social enterprise – has shown that in areas that benefitted from the first year of funding, a reduced rate of gum littering was still being observed six months after clean-up and the installation of signage.

Councillor Michael Wyatt, Portfolio Holder for Community and Climate Change at NWLDC, said: "Chewing gum stuck to pavements and walkways is an issue right across the country, including in North West Leicestershire.

"Many of the streets, pavements and shopping areas in our towns are affected by discarded chewing gum, which can be very difficult and expensive to clean up.

"I'm pleased we've been successful in securing this funding.

"It will really help us to clean up what's already there, and to remind people that the only suitable place to dispose of gum – and any other kind of litter – is in the bin."