The city's pavements were due to be blitzed today to get rid of chewing gum - and keep it away.

Bank Street was due to be the first to be cleaned with a powerful jet and an appeal has gone out for people to keep it a gum-free zone.

Teams will then continue a street-by-street project to tackle the worsening problem.

Bradford city centre management has given an extra £4,000 a year on top of the £10,000 set aside by the Council to tackle the problem.

Now the Council is considering submitting a bid for the city to become one of two national pilots pioneering projects to keep the streets gum free.

The winning authorities receive £60,000 between them and would be expected to contribute their own ideas.

The campaign has been organised by the Chewing Gum Action Group formed by the Department for the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) Minister Alun Michael, to bring together organisations including gum manufacturers, the Depart-ment for Education and Skills and the Local Government Association.

The battle to stop the nuisance has been stepped up as the Council plans to spend £3 million on improvements to the top end of the city. The scheme includes pedestrianisation, using costly Yorkshire stone paving.

City centre manager Bob Parker said the team using steam washers and hot water to melt and blast the gum usually worked through the night because the streets were quieter.

"If they didn't, people would be dropping more down as soon as they cleaned. It is a nightmare which is very hard to tackle and it's particularly bad outside sandwich shops.

"It is one of main things we get complaints about and it has to stop. People must start to use the bins."

The Council will soon start work to make Rawson Place traffic-free and pave it with Yorkshire flags and granite setts.

There are also expected to be ornamental features and public art around the Kirkgate shopping centre, Godwin Street and the Oastler centre.

Mr Parker said: "We are showing people just how slow and how hard it is to clear chewing gum off by giving a demonstration in daylight.

"During this year we will be targeting all the worst streets and we want people to keep them clean when we've done them. We want zero tolerance.

"We are about to spend millions of pounds on environmental improvements and we don't want them ruined."

The Council's executive member for regeneration Councillor Simon Cooke said: "What we really want is to educate people. It is costing an enormous amount of money to clean it up, which could be used on other things.

"If you go to America where many people use chewing gum there is none at all on the streets and the same applies to other cities.

"If people there can dispose of it properly there I don't see why it can't happen in Bradford."