SCOTTISH council bosses have backed calls for firms to make a "substantial" contribution to the estimated £60 million annual cost of removing gum from Britain's streets.
The appeal was issued yesterday by the Local Government Association (LGA), which represents almost 400 councils in England and Wales.
It has also been backed by council umbrella group the Convention of Scottish Local Authorities (Cosla) north of the Border.
The plan calls for a "producer pays" principle to be introduced so that manufacturers are obliged to help shoulder some of the cost.
LGA environment spokesman Councillor Peter Box said: "Chewing-gum is a plague on our pavements. It is a blight which costs councils a fortune to clean up and takes hours of hard work to remove. It's ugly, it's unsightly and it's unacceptable.
"The UK gum industry is a multimillion-pound business and we believe in the principle of the 'polluter' paying. The chewing-gum giants should be making a substantial contribution to help with the sterling work that councils are doing in removing it.
"Councils have no legal obligation to clear up the gum."
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