Council tackles paan spitting that blights Wembley streets

Brent Council says it spends more than £30,000 a year cleaning pavements and buildings stained by paan spitting, a reddish-brown residue produced when people chew and spit out the stimulant.
Paan chewing is common in parts of north-west London, especially around Wembley, where rust-coloured stains can be found on pavements, flowerbeds and even telephone boxes. The mixture typically contains betel nut and leaf, herbs and often tobacco, and is widely used within South East Asian communities for its narcotic effect.

The council has adopted a “zero-tolerance approach”, arguing that paan spitting is both costly to remove and harmful to the environment. Some stains are so stubborn that even high-powered cleaning jets cannot fully remove them, according to the authority.
As part of its crackdown, the Labour-run council has installed banners in three hotspot areas and deployed enforcement officers. Those caught spitting paan face a fixed penalty of up to £100.

However, Brent Liberal Democrats criticised the move as “far too little, far too late”, saying they have repeatedly called for tougher enforcement and even a ban on chewing tobacco because of health risks and the mess it creates. Their leader, Paul Lorber, said the council should have acted sooner.
Krupa Sheth, Brent’s cabinet member for the environment, said the authority would continue its strict stance: “Don’t mess with Brent, because we will catch you and fine you.”
The World Health Organization has found that betel is carcinogenic, meaning it can increase cancer risk even without the added tobacco found in some paan mixtures.