THE sticky problem of removing chewing gum from the streets of North Wiltshire is about to be tackled by the district council.

A team of gum busters has been trained to use a new machine, which will blast the problem away.

North Wiltshire District Council has spent £12,000 on the gum blaster a high pressure steam jet spray that will get to work in contaminated areas.

The machine will also be used to remove graffiti, tackle fly posting and allow public toilets to be steam cleaned.

Operators will start work in Chippenham today and will move on to other towns during the coming weeks.

The gum blaster uses high-pressure steam to soften and then remove the gum. It consists of a mobile steam generator based on a trailer. The machine can be operated by one person, after safety barriers have been put up around the area to be cleaned.