CHEWING GUM REMOVAL SCHEME

That this House notes the nuisance and unsightly blight imposed on streets throughout the UK by the careless disposal of chewing gum; further notes the extent of this problem with an estimated 2,000,000 pieces of gum being dropped in public places each day; acknowledges the high cost of removal of chewing gum from pavements and the lack of local authority resources available to carry out this specific cleansing; and calls on the Government to introduce a specific tax on sales of chewing gum, to be hypothecated to cover the cost to local authorities of chewing gum removal.