Supermarkets in Wrexham are to be charged £60 every time the council recovers an abandoned trolley.
At a meeting this week, the council voted in favour of the measure to tackle what was described as a long-term problem. The charge will come into force in April and is based on costs of £35 for the van and driver, £10 for storage and £15 for administration.
In a report to the council, chief environmental officer John Bradbury said the charge would help reduce the 50 trolleys a month currently found around the town. "Abandoned trolleys have always been an issue for the council and have historically been dealt with on an ad-hoc basis," he said.
The trolleys had "a negative effect on the quality of the local environment", added the report. "Trolleys abandoned in water courses have the further potential to cause blockages, which result in a significant flooding risk," it said. "The adoption of the powers is an opportunity for the council to further enhance its enforcement measures and take a pro-active stance to effectively deal with the issue."
Asda said it shared the council's concerns about abandoned trolleys and that it already did everything it could "to ensure that none of them go walkies from stores".
Measures included fitting 'cart-tronics' devices, which lock the wheels if the trolleys are taken off site, and employing trolley collectors to search the local area. "Most of our customers can be trusted with trolleys, but we'd plead once again with the minority of people who do take them off site and abandon them to stop doing so."
At a meeting this week, the council voted in favour of the measure to tackle what was described as a long-term problem. The charge will come into force in April and is based on costs of £35 for the van and driver, £10 for storage and £15 for administration.
In a report to the council, chief environmental officer John Bradbury said the charge would help reduce the 50 trolleys a month currently found around the town. "Abandoned trolleys have always been an issue for the council and have historically been dealt with on an ad-hoc basis," he said.
The trolleys had "a negative effect on the quality of the local environment", added the report. "Trolleys abandoned in water courses have the further potential to cause blockages, which result in a significant flooding risk," it said. "The adoption of the powers is an opportunity for the council to further enhance its enforcement measures and take a pro-active stance to effectively deal with the issue."
Asda said it shared the council's concerns about abandoned trolleys and that it already did everything it could "to ensure that none of them go walkies from stores".
Measures included fitting 'cart-tronics' devices, which lock the wheels if the trolleys are taken off site, and employing trolley collectors to search the local area. "Most of our customers can be trusted with trolleys, but we'd plead once again with the minority of people who do take them off site and abandon them to stop doing so."
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