Chewing gum stains on Gwynedd’s streets could soon be removed, thanks to a grant of £26,752.

The Chewing Gum Task Force grant has been used to buy a specialist steam machine for Timau Tacluso Ardal Ni (Tidy-up Teams) to use across the county.

The council is one of 52 across the UK to secure funds from the task force.

This is the third year in a row Gwynedd Council has attracted funding from the scheme, which is administered by Keep Britain Tidy.

June Jones, Cabinet Member for Highways, Engineering and Ymgynghoriaeth Gwynedd said: "Carelessly discarded chewing gum is an issue raised by the people of the county all the time, so it has been good news that we have been able to purchase specialist equipment to tackle the problem.

“We are grateful to the Chewing Gum Task Force for their investment, and we hope work will be carried out over the coming weeks and months by the Timau Tacluso will transform Gwynedd’s pavements.”

Steven Edwards, Gwynedd Council’s Street Scene Manager, added: "Unfortunately, many people in Gwynedd will have had the experience of getting someone else’s old chewing gum stuck on their shoes or clothes, and carrying it into their homes, school or workplace. That's why we are working hard to raise awareness not to be thoughtless when disposing of used gum in the first place.

“It’s also important to remember disposing of chewing gum irresponsibly harms our environment, and it takes years to decompose naturally, which increases the pressure of cleaning costs for the council.

"As part of this project we are encouraging the public to get on board, raising awareness with the placement of signs and publishing posts on our social media accounts, asking users to put their used gum in the bin to help keep the streets of Gwynedd clean and tidy."