The Gum Busters team is back on the streets of Valletta to remove the unsightly spots of dried chewing gum in a mission that will cost taxpayers €12,000.

The team on the job, dubbed the Gum Busters, have been working the streets to dissolve gum embedded in the pavements.

A lot of money has been invested in new paving in the capital city but the main pedestrian areas, Republic and Merchants streets, are covered with the greyish blobs of dried gum - especially outside fast food restaurants, probably because people throw the chewing gum on the ground before going in to eat.

Since August, the men have steamed, scrubbed and washed the streets with acid and are expected to finish the job by the end of this month.

The penalties for acts of littering such as throwing away chewing gum are quite hefty, ranging from €58 to €116, but they don't seem to be doing the trick.

Removing the sticky stains does not come cheap. In fact, the Resources Ministry will pay the contractors some €12,000 for this very labour-intensive job.

British local councils spend about £400 million a year to clean up chewing gum. Anyone caught dropping any type of litter can receive a £75 fine.

Singapore had introduced one of the toughest measures when it imposed a total ban on importing, selling and manufacturing chewing gum in 1992. Gum was being left on pavements, in keyholes, on elevator buttons, letter boxes and even in between the doors of their fast-track trains which did not allow them to close properly, costing thousands in repairs and causing delays.

First-time offenders were fined the equivalent of US$500 to $1,000 while repeat offenders could face up to $2,000 and be ordered to do community work.

Eventually the government relaxed the ban slightly in 2002 allowing the sale of sugar free chewing gum, dental chewing gum or nicotine gum, which have health benefits. However, these were still only available against prescription and pharmacists caught breaking the law could be fined almost $3,000 and jailed for two years.