Telford crackdown on abandoned shopping trolleys
A zero-tolerance clampdown aimed at ending the scourge of abandoned supermarket trolleys across Telford was announced by council bosses this afternoon.
Telford & Wrekin Council is calling on local supermarkets to take responsibility for dumped shopping trolleys or they will be crushed.
The authority has decided to take the drastic action over the unclaimed trolleys after it was forced to collect and store more than 20 of them – some of which have been unclaimed for over a year.
Officials say they have worked closely with businesses across the borough to address the problem.
Send us your photos of abandoned trolleys
Use the upload box below, visit shropshirestar.com/starwitness or send them @shropshirestar
Leave us your name and remember to tell us where the trolleys are
The majority of local companies either send out members of staff to collect them or use specialist trolley collection companies.
But some firms have not put anything in place and the council has decided to act.
Once the trolleys are removed, the relevant store is contacted and their trolleys are returned when they have paid a collection fee. But any that are not picked up will be crushed.
Officials said they had made the decision as part of the council's Pride In Your Community environmental improvement programme.
Councillor Shaun Davies, cabinet member for Neighbourhood Services, said many retailers had local arrangements for a speedy collection service but a "small minority" were not taking responsibility even though the council had spoken to them and made the trolleys available for collection.
He said: "Abandoned trolleys are an eyesore, get filled with rubbish, can attract anti-social behaviour and are a potential hazard to motorists and pedestrians.
"I personally make a point of reporting abandoned trolleys whenever I see them but it would be far better if all businesses that have trolleys have a process in place to collect any that are reported.
"I would urge all the companies we are working with to join us in taking pride in their community and ensuring their trolleys are collected when they are reported to us as abandoned."
You can report abandoned trolleys using the council's Everyday Telford app
