Tower Hamlets Council is to invest an additional £800,000 over the next year in new cleaning teams to tackle borough hotspots blighted by dirty streets, chewing gum-covered pavements and graffiti.

The deep-cleaning initiative was launched by the Mayor of Tower Hamlets, Lutfur Rahman, with teams designated to focus on areas of the borough that need extra help tackling issues that degrade public spaces.

Rahman said: “I am investing an additional £800,000 in cleaning services to ensure that people who live, work or visit the borough experience streets and parks that are the cleanest they can possibly be.

“The way that the borough looks reflects on us all and I hope that residents will join the council in working together in keeping Tower Hamlets clean.”

The extra funds have been allocated by the Mayor to pay for 10 street sweepers, two graffiti removal teams and two chewing gum removal teams.

The Council said the additional services build on the work that is already being carried out to keep the borough clean and tidy, which includes providing additional litter bins, a rapid response clean-up team and dedicated street cleaners.

Councillor Shahed Ali, cabinet member for environment said: “The hard work is already in full swing with over 136 square meters of graffiti removed in the first few weeks, that’s equivalent to the sides of three and a half double decker buses.”