Sixty trolleys picked up by fed-up councillors

Three councillors said they were so fed up with the number of trolleys abandoned near their local supermarkets, that they took matters into their own hands.

Ben Westwick said he and colleagues rounded up 60 trolleys in Pitsea, near Basildon in Essex, and returned them to the shops.

The Labour councillor said the trio planned to repeat their efforts on a monthly basis.

Tesco, which owns a nearby supermarket, apologised and thanked the councillors.

Westwick, Christopher Hilleard and Gill Palmer - who are all Labour members on Basildon Council for the Pitsea South East ward - spent about two and half hours driving on local roads on Tuesday.

"There is a massive infestation of trolleys," said Westwick, speaking to BBC Essex.

"It causes anti-social behaviour and there is the risk of the trolleys, depending on the weather, going in the road."

Westwick said he had already met representatives from local supermarkets and emailed them over the issue.

He said the £1 deposit for trolleys was not enough of a deterrent, and he suggested the retailers take more responsibility.

The supermarkets could fit locking wheel nuts to the trolleys, he suggested.

There is a Tesco Extra supermarket in Pitsea, and a spokesperson for the company said "we're sorry about this" and thanked the councillors for their efforts.

They encouraged shoppers to return them and report abandoned trolleys on the Trolleywise website. They also said an external company was paid to retrieve them.

Sainsbury's has a store in north Basildon and a spokesperson said it also used a contractor.

A spokesman for Aldi, which has a store in Pitsea, said: "All our trolleys are fitted with coin locks to deter theft and we are working with our partners to have any missing trolleys returned."

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