Complaints have arisen surrounding a Suffolk town's stolen trolley problem, with residents saying the abandoned shopping carts have been around so long that they've become 'part of the scenery'.

Nigel Lewis, 65, has lived in Haverhill for 34 years and uses the TrolleyWise app to report the scattered shopping carts on a regular basis.

East Anglian Daily Times: Nigel Lewis, 65, has lived in Haverhill for 34 years.Nigel Lewis, 65, has lived in Haverhill for 34 years. (Image: Nigel Lewis)

"They're everywhere because the Tesco ones don't have a coin lock," he said.

"We joke by saying: don't buy a 30p bag, you might as well just take a Tesco trolley home."

East Anglian Daily Times: An upturned shopping trolley spotted in Haverhill recently. Credit: Kelly Alexander.An upturned shopping trolley spotted in Haverhill recently. Credit: Kelly Alexander. (Image: Kelly Alexander)

Having personally reported 18 abandoned shopping carts this year, Mr Lewis believes 10 to 12 are recovered from around Haverhill every week.

"They're picked up and crushed, with each trolley costing about £150," he added.

East Anglian Daily Times: One Tesco trolley managed to find its way into the Aldi car park instead.One Tesco trolley managed to find its way into the Aldi car park instead. (Image: Nigel Lewis)

"But I'm more concerned about the town I live in. 

"Some of them have been around for so long that they've become part of the scenery."

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East Anglian Daily Times: Haverhill resident Nigel Lewis believes 10 to 12 are picked up every week.Haverhill resident Nigel Lewis believes 10 to 12 are picked up every week. (Image: Nigel Lewis)

Mr Lewis also noted that many of the stolen shopping carts have been dumped in the River Stour.

"Surely it would make sense to install coin locks, or even the magnetic locks to stop you from taking them out of the car park?," he said.

"The strange thing is that Tesco Express chains have the coin locks, so why doesn't Tesco's?"

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East Anglian Daily Times: The trolleys are described as part of the scenery in Haverhill.The trolleys are described as part of the scenery in Haverhill. (Image: Nigel Lewis)

A Tesco spokesman said: “We encourage all customers to return their trolleys once they have finished their shop both for others to use and because we don’t want them to cause any harm to the local environment. 

"We use a specialist company called Trolleywise to retrieve our trollies when they have been taken and we’d ask anyone who sees an abandoned Tesco trolley to use the Trolleywise app to report this, or let their local store know so we can get it back as soon as possible.”

Haverhill Town Council was approached for comment.