WARDENS have issued the first '50 fine for dropping chewing gum in Manchester as part of a new Big Brother-style litter clampdown.

A man was caught on surveillance cameras spitting out the gum in Piccadilly Gardens. CCTV camera operators saw the incident and alerted city centre wardens, who were given a description of the offender. They approached the man and issued him with a '50 fixed penalty notice. It is understood he plans to appeal.

Manchester is one of three cities chosen by the government to use on-the-spot fines to tackle the problem of chewing gum stuck to the pavements.

The penalty scheme has been introduced in a 30,000 square metre area of the city centre covering Piccadilly Gardens, where slabs were cleaned of gum a few weeks ago.

A grant of '100,000 has been handed to Manchester city council to cover the costs of the scheme, which is backed by the Department of the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA).

Support has also been given by the Local Government Association, Keep Britain Tidy, the Improvement and Development Agency and chewing gum manufacturer Wrigleys.

Tough

The campaign began with the issuing of 5,000 gum and butt pouches, known as "stubbies", to passers-by and shoppers. The M.E.N. asked city centre shoppers what they thought of the get-tough drive.

Gavin Sykes, a 27-year-old bookmaker from Levenshulme, said: "I think the idea of fining people is spot on. I don't think it's too harsh because asking people not to drop gum in a pleasant way doesn't always work."

Gemma Brooks, 20, a social services worker from Bolton, said: "It's a good idea as long as everyone knows about it. I don't know how I would feel if they introduced it in Bolton though."

Council Director of Operations Pete North told the M.E.N.: "We are absolutely committed to tackling crime and grime in this city. We find that as soon as you tackle one area, like flyposting, people want to know what we are doing about litter and chewing gum.

"We are going to compare the different approaches, fining people, cleaning the streets, and advertising, and see what works best. If fining is the best deterrent, it could be rolled out to different parts of the city."

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