The bane of many town centres is being tackled in Ipswich as part of the ongoing Business Improvement initiatives. An intensive chewing gum removal project has been in operation in the town centre for the past month. On completion, Ipswich Central, in conjunction with Ipswich Borough Council will have cleaned over 25,500 square metres in the BID area.

Paul Clement, Executive Director of Ipswich Central remarked; “We are six months into the BID now and we have provided crucial, additional cleaning regimes to dramatically improve the presentation of our town centre, making it a more appealing place in which to work, shop and spend more leisure time. Gum removal is a good example of a method of reducing irritation from those using the centre of Ipswich. May we also make an appeal for people who use chewing gum in Ipswich to be more thoughtful about their method of disposal.”

Streets where gum removal has been targeted include Tavern Street, Westgate Street, Carr Street, St Nicholas Street, St Peters Street, and the Buttermarket. Various other “hotspots” which have been given a general deep clean include Silent Street, Curriers Lane and Hatton Court. More than 80 pieces of graffiti have been removed in Ipswich in the first six months of the BID.

£3.2m has been committed to a variety of improvements over the next four and a half years, all paid for by businesses in the area. Other successful projects launched by the BID company have included free park and ride and car parking, a state of the art radio security system, improved customer safety and a new marketing campaign.