IT was billed as the high-tech solution to clear the streets of the blight of chewing gum when it was launched with a big promotional launch four years ago.

But the now notorious £96,000 chewing gum street cleaning machine had a rather quieter exit from public service in Brighton and Hove.

The Argus can reveal that it was sold in a low-key auction earlier this year at less than a sixth of its original purchase price. Former council leader Councillor Mary Mears who approved the purchase said she had no regrets about buying the machine but was “very disappointed” the machine had been sold off before it had proved its full potential.

But union bosses said the machine was a “gimmick” and called for a public inquiry into the waste of public money.

The chewing gum machine was unveiled to much fanfare in August 2010 with senior council figures proud of being able to negotiate a £30,000 reduction in its price claiming it would leave the city’s streets clear of chewing gum.

However, staff were only able to get intermittent use out of the machine and it spent more than a year gathering dust while it was sent to a repair shop to receive wholesale modifications.

When it came back into action in March 2012, the modifications meant the machine was not able to perform to the original advertised capability.

Now this newspaper can reveal the machine was sold at auction by Manheim Auctions in Colchester for just under £14,000 in February.

A Brighton and Hove City Council spokeswoman said there were no records to indicate how many days of service the now unwanted machine had been used for during its time with the council.

Coun Mears said: “I am very disappointed that they have sold it off. I think it is very short sighted of the council because at the end of the day we are a seaside attraction which has seven million visitors a year and yet some of our pavements are in a disgusting state because of chewing gum. I don’t think it was the wrong decision, I think it was the right thing to do and I am just very sorry that it wasn’t taken as seriously as it should have been and down the road the council has just sold it off very quietly. There is a lot of work going on at the moment putting in new pavements but they will end up looking exactly the same as the old pavements in next to no time because of chewing gum.”

Mark Turner, GMB branch secretary, said: “It was a gimmick and it spent all its time in the back end of Stanmer Park. I think in its whole time, they got probably a month’s work out of it and it hasn’t been used in the last two years. If anybody in the rank and file across the council misused public in this way they wouldn’t be working at the council any more, it’s outrageous.”