❓WHAT HAPPENED: Viral videos from Harrow, London, showcased widespread paan and gutkha stains across public areas, sparking outrage among locals.
👤WHO WAS INVOLVED: Local residents, Harrow Council, and suspected individuals from South Asian communities, including Indian, Pakistani, and Bangladeshi immigrants.
📍WHEN & WHERE: The incidents occurred in Rayner’s Lane and North Harrow, London, with fines issued as recently as July 2025.
💬KEY QUOTE: “Our Public Spaces Protection Order (PSPO) prohibits spitting in public and fines of £100 are issued to anyone caught.” – Harrow Council spokesman
🎯IMPACT: The issue has drawn attention to the cultural habits of some immigrants and the challenges of maintaining public cleanliness in diverse communities.
A string of viral videos emerging from Harrow, a district in northwest London, England, show unsightly red stains on public trash cans, sidewalks, and walls. They are believed to be caused by people spitting paan and gutkha, two chewing tobacco-like products widely consumed in South Asia, now becoming more prevalent in Britain as it becomes increasingly diverse.
Paan is a preparation made by wrapping areca nut, slaked lime, and various spices or sweeteners in a betel leaf, often chewed with tobacco. Gutkha is a commercial form of chewing tobacco mixed with similar ingredients, banned in several Indian states due to its harmful health effects.
Both substances are popular across India, Pakistan, and Bangladesh, but are associated with significant public health and sanitation concerns, particularly due to the red stains caused when users spit out the residue, which are expensive to clean.
Harrow’s municipal government is stressing both the health implications and the financial burden of cleaning up the mess. A council spokesman stated, “Our Public Spaces Protection Order (PSPO) prohibits spitting in public and fines of £100 ($135) are issued to anyone caught.” The council also reported that 33 such fines were issued in July 2025 alone.
The appearance of paan stores across various parts of the United Kingdom has raised alarms that such spitting incidents may become more frequent unless stricter regulation is enforced. Other English cities home to large South Asian populations, such as Leicester, have already put up signs in foreign languages like Gujarati, threatening hefty fines for spitting paan on the street.
The social media posts come at the same time as Bangladesh’s High Commissioner (Ambassador) to the United Kingdom, Abida Islam, is boasting that much of Britain’s capital city feels like being back in Bangladesh.
Ghutka and paan stains reach London streets. Worrying locals and authorities. pic.twitter.com/7B28KGH53S
— Брат (@1vinci6le) August 4, 2025
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