A Brighton franchise is bringing its technology to bear on a problem all too familiar to pedestrians - discarded chewing gum on pavements.
Chewing gum is one of the most common forms of urban pollution and Mick Derwin has opened a branch of GumFighters to help clean the streets and cash in on a potentially lucrative market.
Demonstrating the equipment outside the Churchill Square shopping centre to the council and town centre managers, UK marketing director Mark Williams-Thomas said: "This is one of the worst areas I have ever seen for discarded chewing gum.
"The only place I have visited with a bigger problem is Oxford Street in London."
Mr Derwin's equipment dissolves the black and white blobs of gum in four to six seconds using high-temperature, low-pressure steam combined with an environmentally-friendly cleaning agent.
The steaming system, which is self-contained in a van, works at about 130 degrees celsius and removes not only the gum but the oily substance giving it its adhesion.
Because the steam is low pressure, it does not damage floor surfaces and can be used indoors and outside. The system uses up to 50 litres of water a day and can be operated without causing disruption to businesses.
Mr Williams-Thomas said: "People have learned to accept discarded chewing gum in public areas because they think the local authorities won't do anything. But the problem for councils has been they couldn't do anything because of the cost involved.
"Because we can move the gum during the daytime, it provides very good publicity for the council. People stop and talk to the cleaners when they see what they're doing and the council gets a pat on the back."
UK councils spend considerable money to remove gum from pavements. Until recently, the only methods of cleaning up gum, such as freezing and scraping or pressure washing, have been expensive and unable to remove gum trodden into surfaces.
GumFighters says more than 3.5 billion pieces of gum are discarded in the UK each year, costing more than £150 million to clean up. Gum pollution is predominantly caused by 13 to 24-year-olds, with young men dropping more gum than women.
Mr Derwin's franchise will also be operating in Eastbourne, Crowborough, Newhaven, Hove and surrounding areas.
Last year, GumFighters cleaned the streets of Hailsham when the town council decided to tackle the problem after complaints from residents.
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