Residents in parts of Leicester are expressing their disgust and frustration over what they describe as an epidemic of streets being stained by a reddish-brown substance. The culprit is paan, a stimulant chewed and then spat out, leaving unsightly and persistent marks on pavements, bins, and even trees.
A Growing Stain on the Community
The issue is particularly pronounced around Melton Road, an area with a significant South and South East Asian community where paan is traditionally used. Paan is a mixture of betel nut, tobacco, and spices wrapped in a leaf, used for centuries as a palate cleanser and breath freshener, but it also provides a narcotic effect. The problem arises when users spit out the resulting rust-coloured mix of saliva and paan residue.
Local man Nial told the Daily Mail: "It's not very good at all, it's everywhere. You see it occasionally on the foot of shops and on trees now. It looks like somebody has been sick." He added, "It's up and down Melton Road. It's like the Wild West here, with all the spitting. It looks terrible, it's like somebody has coughed up blood."
Fines and Signs Failing to Curb the Problem
Leicester City Council has been running a campaign to stop paan spitting since 2010, initially implementing a £50 fine. This penalty has since risen to £150, or £100 if paid within 14 days. Signs have been erected in both English and Gujarati warning of the fines. However, locals report that the issue is now "out of control" and that the warnings are widely ignored.
Father-of-two Tarak Dave, 53, argued for stricter punishment: "There needs to be a bigger fine. I know there is a shortage of officers... Some people don't give a damn about this place." Another resident, Chris, 76, recounted confronting spitters near his home and even threatening legal action, stating, "They should stop selling it and letting people buy it."
Health Risks and a Costly Clean-Up
The problem extends beyond aesthetics. Cancer Research UK warns that chewing paan with tobacco raises the risk of oral cancer, gum disease, and heart problems, with dangers on par with cigarette smoking. Anil Bhakta, 65, noted, "I've seen people with bad mouth cancer from this and lost a lot of their mouth."
Cleaning the stains is a difficult and costly process. A worker from a local betting shop—where much of the spitting occurs—explained, "You need vinegar and hot water to get it off... It sticks to what you clean it with." The council was recently forced to replace a stained pathway in front of one shop. This mirrors a situation in Brent, London, where the council spends £30,000 a year cleaning paan spit and is launching a new 'zero-tolerance' crackdown.
Some shopkeepers on Melton Road, like Wissan who runs Shiv Shakti and Jaydeeb of Radhe Krishna, have taken matters into their own hands by putting out bins and putting up their own signs to deter spitting, but with limited success. As the community grapples with the environmental and social impact, the call for more effective enforcement and greater public health awareness grows louder.
