A MELKSHAM woman has started a campaign to tidy up the streets of her hometown.

Marian Escott, 68, of Giffords Court off Lowbourne, said she is fed up with seeing discarded chewing gum stuck to the streets and litter strewn about town.

She has started a letter-writing campaign, visited community organisation Melksham 1st and contacted the town council and even spoken to The Wrigley Company about its chewing gum.

She said: "I have only become aware of how bad the problem with chewing gum and litter has got this year.

"There was a lot of fast food stuff left around Strattons Walk and Thackery Crescent but we managed to get daily street sweeping there.

"I don't want glory or praise, I just feel it's my Christian concern and duty to start the ball rolling.

"I am chasing up the localised litter problems as I become aware of them."

Mrs Escott, who was widowed four years ago, wrote to The Wrigley Company to ask them if they have any plans to introduce biodegradable chewing gum.

But the company would not divulge whether they were working on developing a product that would biodegrade.

Mrs Escott is also trying to get shops, business and schools to put up posters saying 'be a binner, not a sinner' to encourage people to put their litter in bins.

She is also trying to get more cigarette bins provided for smokers to put their cigarette stubs in safely.

In April this year West Wiltshire District Council made use of extra enforcement measures to tackle the problem of litter on the streets of Melksham.

The council said it would be issuing Street Litter Control Notices to traders causing persistent problems with litter, including takeaways, banks and service stations.

Traders were also made aware that they would now be responsible for keeping the area outside their premises free from litter. If they failed to do so they could be prosecuted.

A spokesman for West Wiltshire District Council said they were finding out the cost of launching a blitz on chewing gum in Melksham. He added that no litter control notices had been issued as yet, but one problem was being investigated, the details of which could not be confirmed.