Residents in Coventry living close to a major shopping centre claim their neighbourhood is being clogged with discarded supermarket carts. Dozens of buggies have been spotted across an area spanning approximately half a mile around Alvis Retail Park.
According to one local speaking to Coventry Live, complaints directed to Aldi and Morrisons have fallen on deaf ears, with as many as ten trollies currently cluttering a passageway on one particular road.
The Holyhead Road complex hosts multiple retailers, yet it is alleged the derelict carts originate from the two aforementioned food retailers. Photographs submitted to Coventry Live display a collection of trollies from both Aldi and Morrisons.
A local resident explained that the CV1 area of Coventry has a significant concentration of shared accommodation. A large proportion of occupants do not own vehicles and rely on supermarket trolleys to convey their purchases back to their residences, particularly when special offers on beer are running. The resident noted this would not present an issue if the stores simply retrieved the abandoned trollies, yet they appear unconcerned. Trollies from the Aldi and Morrisons branches on Holyhead Road can be seen strewn across footpaths and front gardens of nearby properties.
A pile of trollies initially accumulated on Meriden Street, connected together using trolley restraint chains.
The resident further noted that a pair of trollies were discovered on Doe Lane behind the infant school, accessible from Northumberland Road. These remained positioned in the highway for a fortnight before being shifted to the verge. A service road on Minster Road contains ten stray trollleys that locals have gathered. The resident indicated they flagged this weeks ago yet they remain in place.
Aldi has stated that its trollies are fitted with wheel immobilisation devices intended to prevent them being taken from the car park. Should shoppers manage to extract the trollies, the company maintains it collaborates with its contractor, Trolleywise, to gather them promptly. Aldi has confirmed arrangements have been made to retrieve its abandoned trollies in this particular case.
A Morrisons representative stated that upon receiving notification regarding the Morrisons trolleys, staff ventured out to reclaim them and bring them back to the premises.