A walker discovered a staggering 11 shopping trolleys on a Fife beach during a single outing.
Community safety officials in Fife have slammed those responsible for the rising number of trolleys being dumped across the region.
One woman discovered a staggering 11 trolleys and four traffic cones washed up on Leven Beach earlier this month, prompting authorities to take action.
A spokesperson for the Safer Communities team said: “We have been receiving an ever increasing amount of reports of trolleys being dumped across the whole of Fife.
“They are being found in bushes, rivers, parks and even the sea. Trolleys should not be taken away from supermarkets.
“It might be easier to get your shopping home, but they are not for you to take. This is stealing.
“If you come across a trolley, then supermarkets are responsible for them, so we do encourage people to report this to the appropriate supermarket for collection.”
Abandoned trolleys can clog rivers, drains, creeks and culverts which have contributed to flash flooding in places. Recovery can divert staff and resources away from other, more pressing, street cleaning.
Industry figures suggest £95,000 worth of supermarket trolleys are stolen or dumped every day, costing British business £35 million a year.
Fife is backing a new app called Trolleywise, which can help supermarkets collect abandoned trolleys.
Users can take a photo with their phone and then alert the nearest Trolleywise collection team.
Simon King, head of retail systems and Trolleywise at Wanzl, said: “A well-manufactured and maintained trolley can have a lifespan of fifteen years with many being decommissioned only because they have been abandoned or misused.
“By working together we can tackle the blight of abandoned trolleys in green spaces, waterways, and public areas as well as reducing the impact on the environment of manufacturing new trolleys.”
