Council could wheel in £100 shopping trolley fines across Sunderland

The Echo recently reported a trolley shortage at Tesco in Roker, with shoppers having to either hang around until one become available, or go elsewhere. Tesco say they are ordering more.

In March 2022 the Echo also reported that more than 30,000 trolleys had been found abandoned in Sunderland in the two years previous.

The figure comprised trolleys collected and returned to stores by Trolleywise, a national scheme set up to retrieve abandoned shopping trolleys and reduce their loss from shops.

The council launched a crackdown in Washington, where there was a particular problem, meaning anyone taking a trolley from a store’s land could be given a fixed penalty fine of £100.

Sunderland City Council’s deputy leader and cabinet member for Clean Green City, Cllr Claire Rowntree, has now said: “Shopping trolleys are for people to use at shops and supermarkets.

“When they are dumped or left outside they are not only unsightly but they can create safety problems and become hazards for pedestrians and other highways users.

“When we renewed and updated the citywide Public Spaces Protection Order two years ago, we began applying Fixed Penalty Notices (FPNs) to anyone removing a shopping trolley from retailers at the Galleries Shopping Centre and the Peel Retail Park in Washington.

“Warning signs were put in place near the exit points of both shopping areas advising people that they must not remove the trolleys and of the possible £100 FPN if they did – 17 people have since received FPNs for removing trolleys from these designated areas.

“We are in the early stages of looking at whether to introduce similar trolley restrictions in other areas of the city as part of a wider review and update of the Public Spaces Protection Order.

“Further details on this update and review are being prepared for 2024.”

Tesco has asked anyone who sees an abandoned trolley to report it on the Trolleywise app, or tell their local store. Fewer abandoned trolleys could even mean lower shopping bills.

More information on reporting abandoned trolleys online is at: PSPO - Trolley Restrictions - Sunderland City Council