Northampton councillor does not have sympathy for supermarkets over taken trolleys

Councillor Janice Duffy is calling on supermarkets to take responsibility over trolleys taken and dumped off site from Tesco Extra at Weston Favell Shopping Centre.

Last week B&M stores on Billing Brook Road in Weston Favell pinned a notice in its shop window to tell customers they could not use the trolleys as they had all been stolen.

The notice at B&M read: "Unfortunately all our trolleys have been stolen. We have ordered replacements and are awaiting their arrival. Thank you for your patience. B&M Weston Favell."

Shadow Cabinet Member for Community Engagement and Safety councillor Janice Duffy (Lab, Talavera) told the Chronicle & Echo week it is a 'nightmare' recovering trolleys from a lake in her ward.

She said: "Trolley dumping is a huge problem in my ward.

"B&M keep getting fined when Northampton Borough Council pick up stray trolleys but they aren’t even on the app, Trollywise, so I don’t have sympathy for them if their trolleys have been stolen. I was in touch with them a while back and I think it’s higher management that isn’t thinking positively.

"Tesco does use Trollywise to pick up dumped trolleys but the problem persists and I expect it’s down to economics why their trolleys aren’t fixed with a braking system to stop them being taken away."

Trolleywise is a trolley loss app which shops can sign up to in a bid to retrieve their trolleys after members of the public report them found off site.

Last summer Northampton Borough Council had to order a 'special hook' to pull trolleys out of the lakes but because of nesting birds the local authority is sometimes restricted from removing them.

She added: "It really is a nightmare recovering these trolleys but people will use them to get their shopping home because of high bus prices.

"I do a weekly shop and if there were no trolleys I’d be lost so it’s down to the supermarkets."

But a Tesco spokeswoman said: "We’re disappointed trolleys are being removed from our Weston Favell Extra and would encourage people to keep trolleys on site.

"When trolleys are removed we work with Trolleywise to collect and return them and we’re looking into this issue urgently."

B&M have been approached for comment.