A CAMPAIGN to rid Worcester’s streets of chewing gum will start next week.

Worcester was one of the 15 local authorities to successfully bid for the campaign being run by the Chewing Gum Action Group.

From Monday, September 8, the chewing gum litter awareness and education campaign will start in an attempt to promote behaviour change among gum litterers.

Minister for local environment quality, Jonathan Shaw, said: "This is a great opportunity for local authorities to make headway on what can be a costly and time-consuming problem.

“Local authorities will be measuring the effectiveness of their campaigns this year and working to build on last year's successes, and I look forward to hearing about their achievements."

The campaign will consist of advertising posters assisted with wider activities.

It is the third year the action group has provided support for gum litter campaigns.

Last year the campaign resulted in local authorities recording an average reduction in chewing gum litter of almost 60 per cent.