Supermarket trolleys in rivers/canals

[vole-woman]

Has anyone any experience of successfully campaigning against a supermarket that knowingly allowed its trolleys to pollute waterways?

[Oscar2006]

Originally Posted by vole-woman

Has anyone any experience of successfully campaigning against a supermarket that knowingly allowed its trolleys to pollute waterways?

Not sure where this thread is supposed to lead (conservation of vole habitat I presume?)

I can't believe any supermarket chain would "knowingly allow" it's trollies to be used for anything other than shopping purposes in their stores, let alone pollute waterways.

They are probably aware that their trollies have been stolen and dumped in waterways, but the retrieval of them is possibly beyond the remit of the local management team.
That does not mean that the senior executives should not be responsible for arranging a contractor to remove them though!

Do we start a campaign against certain fast food restaurants because they "knowingly allow" their cartons to be strewn all over the country?

I think it is generally the "baduns" larking about after a skinful of ale that cause these problems not the Companies.

[vole-woman]

You're right, it's a conservation of water vole habitat issue. Water voles burrows are protected by law, but repeatedly dragging trolleys out over banks is causing damage (the most active water vole colony near me lives in a ditch outside a supermarket, by the car park).

The store has known about the trolleys being a problem for ages; after all, the trolleys are highly visible as people walk past, and there have been up to 15 trolleys in there at once, all with accumulated debris around them.

I do think it's the store's responsibility, whether at local or central level: in this case, the trolleys are right next to a youth centre, and a dark car park and a steep bank are too much of a temptation. You might as well give a toddler a hammer.

I don't want to have a go at the store in general, just ask them to install coin-release trolleys so that the kids won't take them as readily. This is what I was asking for info on and I perhaps should have clarified my request. I wondered whether anyone else had managed to get a local store to change in this way.

I'm aware that Tesco last year were prosecuted by the Environment Agency for polluting the River Chelmer with trolleys, for example. I presume that store now has coin-release trolleys?

[vole-woman]

(And I know know if it's still the case, but I've seen representatives from fast food stores litter-picking round their stores in the past. Good PR, that.)

[Paul mabbott]

Originally Posted by vole-woman

The store has known about the trolleys being a problem for ages; after all, the trolleys are highly visible as people walk past, and there have been up to 15 trolleys in there at once, all with accumulated debris around them.

I do think it's the store's responsibility, whether at local or central level: in this case, the trolleys are right next to a youth centre, and a dark car park and a steep bank are too much of a temptation. You might as well give a toddler a hammer.

I don't want to have a go at the store in general, just ask them to install coin-release trolleys so that the kids won't take them as readily. This is what I was asking for info on and I perhaps should have clarified my request. I wondered whether anyone else had managed to get a local store to change in this way.

You're correct, it is the store's responsibility. Some supermarkets have installed systems whereby trolleys can't be wheeled out of the grounds - wouldn't stop a gang carrying one along the driveway though .... Probably the easiest thing for them to do would be to have someone patrolling the grounds.
As you say, worth having a go at the management and pointing out their responsibility.

[Chiltern Chris]

Hi,

I think there was a successful prosecution of a supermarket for this offence. I know someone who'd know the details but she's not available today, but if I find out in the next few days I'll let you know.

As for the water voles, if the process of trolley removal is causing problems to them and you've informed the supermarket that the voles are present, this could easily be construed as 'reckless' damage which is now a criminal offence under the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981 (as amended by Countryside and Rights of Way Act 2000 (CRoW). The process and potential penalties derive from CRoW: Schedule 12(5) which has reduced the legal test applied from ‘intentionally’ damaged by adding ‘or recklessly’ damage. To avoid reckless damage you must take all reasonable measures to avoid the damage.

This means that the supermarket should try and find a method of removing the trolleys without damaging the vole's habitat or prevent the trolleys going in in the first place.

Just for info. I know that when a fisheries survey was done in the lower Lee in London, no fish were found in the open channel but hundreds were found sheltering inside the shopping trolleys because it was the only place to hide. This happens when the banks of the river are hard (concrete, sheet piles, gabions etc) as this prevents vegetation growing at the bottom of the bank. I've seen this happening at a supermarket in Watford too.

Cheers, Chris

[Boddie]

Thos one in Oban harbour infuriated me.

http://www.insidetheheadofa.com/photo_649432.html

Apparently it'd been there for months.

It was from Lidl

[nightshade]

I thought it very photogenic,just look how it has camouflaged itself
to prevent discovery/recapture

[m1keanderson]

Check out the guidance notes for abandoned trolleys at Defra, UK - Environmental Protection - Local Environmental Quality - Clean Neighbourhoods and Environment Bill and see how your local council is implementing it.

[vole-woman]

Thanks! My local authority has been repsonsive to the needs of the voles in the brook, making sure their maintenance men don't over-strim, or use pesticides, and that rat control is done super-carefully. So I'll get onto them and see if they can apply a bit of pressure.

There are two more trolleys in this morning, and it's really depressing. The other two have been there for over a month and they're so embedded that removing them is going to cause real damage to the banks and brook bed. It's so frustrating when so many people are working hard to help the voles!