TOWN Hall bosses say they hope that the ongoing revamp of Bolton’s shopping streets will see an end to a sticky problem on pavements.

The walkways are being treated with a special chemical to stop chewing gum becoming stuck to the ground.

The area outside BHS in Victoria Square has already been treated with the protective coating following the repair work and cleaning of the area, which took place last month.

Now workmen have started resurfacing and repairing Hotel Street and Mealhouse Lane, in time for the Bolton Food Festival over the August bank holiday weekend.

Stephen Young, assistant director for highways and engineering at Bolton Council, said that by protecting the pavements now, they were making Bolton a good place to visit and shop, for the benefit of businesses and residents alike.

“It’s very labour intensive to remove chewing gum, but if you treat it in advance it’s much easier”, he said.

“The treatment of the flagstones outside BHS near the canopy shows that it does repel chewing gum. Chewing gum on pavements is a problem nationwide, not just in Bolton.”

The council is spending £1.44 million on improving the town centre, including the redevelopment of Newport Street — which will mean the loss of the charity canopy and elephants, as reported in The Bolton News in February.

Cllr Ebrahim Adia, the executive cabinet member for regeneration and resources, said that shoppers and visitors to Bolton will notice a big difference to the town centre streets once work is complete.

He added: “We’ve already repaved the surfaces from Black-horse Street to Bolton Market, repaired and cleaned up the flagstones in Victoria Square, and put some new paving down opposite British Home Stores.

“All the new paving will have a treatment applied which will make it harder for chewing gum to stick to it.

“This preventative resin will help keep our town centre clean, which is important to both businesses and shoppers.

“Once all the work is complete, it will give a much more modern, open feel, and also provide clearer sight lines to the town centre, especially for people using public transport and coming into town that way.”