Private detectives, lab workers and dotty ladies have been enlisted to publicly humiliate people who drop chewing gum in a bid to end the sticky problem.
Lewisham Council is stepping up the war against offenders with a combination of public shame and fines as it pilots new ways of keeping the streets clean.
From Saturday 26 August, actors posing as a variety of characters will be patrolling the streets looking for people dropping chewing gum.
They’ll be pouncing on anyone they find and making sure everyone in the area knows about it.
Council enforcement officers will also be out in full force to stick £80 fines on anyone they catch.
The street performances, co-funded by Lewisham Town Centre Manager, will launch the initiative from 12 noon on Saturday 26 August.
They’ll be backed up by billboards and buses across the borough showing images of the problems discarded chewing-gum causes.
And council officers will be encouraging people to discard their gum properly by giving away chewing-gum wrappers.
Steve Bullock, Mayor of Lewisham, said: 'Chewing gum is a real nuisance. It gets stuck to people’s shoes and clothes, is unsightly and can cost as much as £200,000 a year to clean off the streets.
'We’re now getting tough on the small number of people who are causing us unnecessary work and a nuisance to our residents.'
Lewisham Council is one of only 15 councils across England funded by the Chewing Gum Action Group (CGAG) to run a chewing-gum campaign.
Lewisham was chosen because of eye-catching advertising, education on responsible gum disposal and a clear message about the fines people can get for dropping gum.
The CGAG was formed in Autumn 2003 and brought together chewing-gum manufacturers, the Local Government Association, the Chartered Institute of Wastes Management, Environmental Campaigns (ENCAMS), the Department for Education and Skills (DfES), the Improvement and Development Agency and the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA).
Ben Bradshaw, Minister responsible for Local Environmental Quality at DEFRA, said: 'There is no doubt that the Chewing Gum Action Group is leading the nationwide push to reduce gum litter on our streets, through educating people in the correct way to dispose of their gum.
'Through the Group's work, we really hope to help local authorities reduce gum litter, reduce the money they spend on cleaning it up and, in turn, help increase the pride people have in their communities.'