PEOPLE caught throwing chewing gum on the ground will face a €150 fine as part of a new nationwide crackdown.

THE war against chewing gum litter is to be fought in the country’s classrooms as students are being taught to bin it.

The race is on among boffins to create a non-stick chewing gum to stop it littering streets and footpaths.

A TOTAL of €6 million is to be spent educating people about the scourge of chewing gum litter but the Government has stopped short of imposing a clean-up tax on its manufacturers.

A crackdown got underway in Cork, Dublin and Bray today to encourage people to bin used chewing gum in an effort to clean up the country’s streets.