Thanks to the Council’s successful bid for external funding, we’ll be tackling the sticky issue of chewing gum in Northumberland Heath, Nuxley Road and Picardy Street in Belvedere and on Blackfen Road.

We have been awarded £27,063.00 for the cleanup. In addition, the Council will invest in new cleaning equipment to remove gum that can be reused well into the future.

This is the third grant that we have been awarded by the Chewing Gum Task Force grant scheme that was established by Defra (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs).

Winning these additional funds follows a successful cleanup in Bexleyheath Town Centre in autumn 2024 and a gum cleanup in Sidcup High Street and at Sidcup Station in summer 2025.

Cllr Rags Sandhu, Bexley’s Cabinet Member for Environment, Culture and Leisure said:

Keeping Bexley clean and green is a top priority for the Council and this third phase of gum clean-up activity funded by officers providing a valid and established business case for these external funds, along with our investment in new cleaning equipment, will help make our Borough a greener place to live in and an attractive place for visitors and businesses to thrive”.

Estimates suggest the annual clean-up cost of chewing gum for Councils in the UK is around £7 million

This third phase of gum cleanup work will begin in mid-August this year and will last approximately 10 weeks.