Staffordshire Moorlands District Council has spent �3,500 on a gum blaster - a high pressure steam jet spray filled with cleaning agents to dissolve the gum

The device can also be used to tackle fly-posting and graffiti.

Operators will start work in Cheadle on Monday and will move onto other towns during the coming weeks.

Town centres such as Cheadle, Biddulph and Leek, all suffer from the problem of chewing gum waste.