A local resident recently raised concerns with Hoveton Parish Council regarding the number of shopping trolleys being abandoned around our village, particularly trolleys being left in residential areas some distance from the village centre. Your Parish Council has raised this matter with Roys and put forward several ideas that may encourage shoppers to return their trolleys (for instance, a £1 deposit for the use of a trolley) but unfortunately the introduction of such measures would prove expensive and would offer no guarantee that trolleys would be returned. Though the trolleys are all safely locked away at night, it seems there is no easy solution to prevent their daytime wanderings.

Roys have advised that they carry out a trolley collection tour of the village three times a week, with three key areas covered (firstly central and easy to get to areas and then the rest of the village). However, sometimes the ‘trolley team’ isn’t able to get out and about as often as it should due to staff shortages (holidays/illness etc) and there are concerns that any trolleys not spotted by Roys’ staff might be played with by children, and end up in the middle of the road or thrown into the river.

So, while Roys and Hoveton Parish Council sympathise with the concerns raised about these abandoned trolleys, and Roys is doing what it can to try to ensure all abandoned trolleys are found and collected in a timely manner, it is ultimately the responsibility of the individual who has borrowed a trolley to ensure it is returned to the store and not left for someone else to pick up. If you borrow Roys’ trolleys to transport shopping home, please be aware of this, and please help to keep our village looking tidy for everyone by returning your trolleys to the store as soon as possible.