THE Journal's Tidy Towns Campaign is gathering pace with gum blasting, community litter picks and various reports of fly tipping.You have been letting us know your trouble spots and we have been getting them cleaned up.

THE Journal's Tidy Towns Campaign is gathering pace with gum blasting, community litter picks and various reports of fly tipping.

You have been letting us know your trouble spots and we have been getting them cleaned up.

During the weekend Waveney's cleansing team removed trodden-in chewing gum from the pavements around the seating area at Tesco in Beccles.

Chewing gum is like no other form of litter as it cannot be easily removed. These singularly small items soon build up to a big problem in places where people congregate, such as shopping areas.

Halesworth fares well and recent inspections found the town was generally free of gum. Bus shelters prove problem areas in Bungay and the worst hit places in Beccles tend to be seating areas, bus stops and the market place.

Mike Daniels, cleansing service manager for Waveney Norse said: “Our GumTargets are working well, but there are places that suffer repeatedly. Removing gum is a labour intensive task. Gum is extremely persistent and cannot be removed by routine-street cleaning alone. It requires specialist equipment and we have had to use a steam cleaners and scrapers. We will revisit the area next week to clean the pavements following the removal process.

“Even though they are small, items like gum and cigarette butts are classed as litter and you can receive a fixed penalty notice of �80 for dropping them.”

Elsewhere the team has been busy with reports of fly tipping and littering.

In Bungay, they collected bags, a mattress and furniture from Jubilee Road and a sofa from Manor Road. In Beccles, a fridge was picked up at Ringsfield Road and a gas boiler and bags were reported and collected from Lowestoft Road, Worlingham.

Following a report and images from a Journal reader a litter pick was carried out at Outney Bridge in Bungay.

Both sides of the footbridge were tackled and the team removed a large amount of litter.

Mr Daniels added: “The team also picked up a van-load of conifer cuttings from the lay-by at Talents Loke on the B1062. We would like to remind residents to ensure they get a reputable company to carry out any garden work. If you use an independent company to carry out work and dispose of the waste produced, please ensure you make the necessary checks. If they do not dispose of it correctly, it could well be traced back to you during any resulting flytipping investigation.”

We want to hear from you. We need some enthusiastic volunteers to organise community litter picks. The council will provide all the equipment and remove all the waste after you've finished, all you have to do is send The Journal a picture of your black spot before and after, and tell us what you've found.

If you see some furniture dumped, litter strewn across your street, or you're aware of an area that is constantly abused, take a picture and send it to us.

To report an issue, or organise a tidy-up, email Mike.Daniels@ncsgrp.co.uk or telephone 01502 527158. Send any details or photographs of your litter picks or black spots to Tidy Towns, 20 Blyburgate, Beccles, NR34 9TB. Tidy Towns hotline - 01502 527158.