The Ghostbuster-esque team on a chewing gum mission

There's something strange in the neighbourhood.

It is not, however, a Ghostbuster, despite the resemblance to the jumpsuit-wearing New York team of 1980s paranormal exterminators.

It is a North Yorkshire Council (NYC) operative called Tristan, working in Selby as part of the Chewing Gum Task Force.

The scheme, managed by charity Keep Britain Tidy and funded by the government and chewing gum manufacturers, involves grant funding being given to local authorities.

For the third year in a row, NYC has received the maximum amount of £27,500.

"That grant buys us equipment and time to go around cleaning pavements of chewing gum," says Richard Foster, executive member for managing the environment.

"We need to be proud of where we live and one of those things is to have a clean, tidy place," the Conservative councillor adds, saying it could bring in more visitors.

"To say it's going to have a massive economic impact, possibly not," he admits.

"We're a tourist area in a lot of our towns and villages, so being able to get out there and make sure that they aren't untidy, they don't have chewing gum on the floor, is really important."

The project will focus on places including Skipton and Harrogate this year and has previously been used in Malton, Northallerton and Scarborough.

The removal of gum involves a battery-powered backpack which heats a detergent solution up to approximately 90C.

The hot liquid is trickled onto the chewing gum before it is gently scrubbed with a wire brush attached to the pipe.

The process "breaks down the chewing gum into smaller and smaller bits", says Megan Davies, environment graduate trainee for waste and street scene at NYC.

"Chewing gum is non-biodegradable - it's like plastic, it's impossible to completely get rid of," she says.

"By making it into really small particles, it dramatically reduces the risk to the environment and wildlife because it means that birds aren't eating it, swallowing it and dying."

The whole process takes about a minute per piece of gum, but is easier with fresher deposits, Davies says.

"We then find when we're revisiting six months later there's a lot less gum on the pavement because people have seen it be clean."

She says the backpack system is "novel", with some other councils using a hot jet wash instead.

"I got a lot of comments that you look like a Ghostbuster," she adds.

Teams often find large amounts of chewing gum outside places to eat, Davies says, as well as pubs "if people have been on a night out and they've just had a cigarette".

Another hotspot is "literally right next to the bin".

"We've got thousands of [litter bins] across the county, so it's really frustrating to know that we're providing people the opportunity to reduce the issue and they're actually contributing to it."

Kathy Wannop, who previously lived in Selby for 25 years and is out shopping in the town, agrees.

"If there's plenty of places to put [gum], people should use them," she says.

She calls those dropping gum "ignorant", stating they "don't realise what the implications of it are, if you get it on your feet and you walk it in the house, even for animals".

"I think it's the younger generation, unfortunately," she adds.

Clair Nekesa, 38, says stepping on gum is "not comfortable, it's so bad".

Seeing it littered in the town centre "feels disgusting", she says.

Carol, 76, says Selby's streets are "not like they used to be - they used to be quite tidy".

"When people come that's never been before and you hear comments passed it's a bit upsetting really, because I've lived here for 38 years.

"We used to be proud of our town and we need to keep that pride going."

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