Abandoned shopping trolleys 'marring UK waterways'

Shopping trolleys pushed into Britain's waterways are proving to be an eyesore and costing the taxpayer £150,000 annually to remove, it has been claimed.

According to British Waterways, around 3,000 shopping trolleys are extracted from the UK's canals and rivers yearly and the organisation has now launched a hotline which individuals can use to report abandoned trolleys.

The information related via the hotline will also be used to reveal which supermarkets' trolleys most commonly clog up bodies of water.

Robin Evans, chief executive officer of British Waterways, said the trolleys represent the "mindless pollution that takes place along our canals and rivers every year".

He added that when it comes to tackling the issue, there are "a number of effective measures that can be better implemented that make both business as well as environmental sense".

The Clean Neighborhoods and Environment Act of 2005 addresses the details and consequences of abandoned shopping trolleys in the UK.