Campaigners are urging the supermarket chain Morrisons to take more action to tackle the scourge of trolley dumping into the River Freshney near its store.
Morrisons has said it is aware of some trolleys not being collected as quickly as usual and is looking into it to avoid it happening again. A senior figure from Wanzl praised campaigners’ efforts and explained that health and safety regulations made river collections more complicated. They also stressed in their experience that Morrisons was an ethical and responsible company.
James said the campaigners had previously collected trolleys from the river and returned them, not an easy task. They had requested Morrisons offer £10 per trolley returned to help cover costs. But Morrisons responded only that it would tighten up its operations. “Our river is important for the wellbeing of the residents, and the wildlife that call it home, and I refuse to let this be compromised,” added James Elliot. Lyndsey Downes, another participant in the Friday trolley collection, said she herself had been in touch with Morrisons head office for 12 months about the problem.
A Morrisons spokesperson told the Local Democracy Reporting Service : “We’re aware that some abandoned trolleys have not been collected as quickly as usual – we are looking into what has gone wrong to avoid this happening again.” “I understand people’s frustrations,” he added, and believed improved communications would help it be prioritised. As for possible funding of the campaigners’ own clean-up efforts, Mr Burton said he had committed to talking to Morrisons about a possible scheme.
I think this headline needs rewording!