Discarded trolleys from Morrisons are ruining the look of the Riverside area of Norwich after the supermarket giant stopped charging shoppers £1 to use them, a resident claims.

Eastern Daily Press: Morrisons shopping trolleys left scattered around the store car park as the store has stopped the coin deposit on the trolleys. Picture: DENISE BRADLEYMorrisons shopping trolleys left scattered around the store car park as the store has stopped the coin deposit on the trolleys. Picture: DENISE BRADLEY (Image: copyright: Archant 2014)

Morrisons said it had removed locks from its trolleys because shoppers found them inconvenient and time-consuming.

With the locks removed shoppers no longer need to insert a £1 coin or token to release a trolley from its bay.

But Scott Russell, 33, who lives near the Morrisons store at Riverside, said trolleys were being left everywhere, claiming a trolley was floating upside down in the River Wensum under Carrow Bridge earlier this week – although it has since been removed.

He said the caretaker at a nearby apartment block was collecting up to 20 trolleys per week from the site.

He said: 'Up until recently seeing random stray shopping trolleys has never been an issue around the Riverside area of Norwich. Then a short time ago Morrisons had the brainwave to remove the £1 charge for a trolley making them free to the user/customer. Ever since it's been a constant nuisance, ruining the look of the area. The big supermarket's brainwave has turned out to be a stupid idea that is polluting and littering our city.'

A Morrisons spokesman said more than 150,000 trolley locks had been removed at 279 stores nationwide, including at the Norwich store because 'many customers were telling us that they found them inconvenient and time-consuming'.

The spokesman added: 'Feedback so far has been overwhelmingly positive. As soon as a member of the public alerts us to an abandoned trolley, the store team will collect it immediately.

'The removal of the locks is one of a number of improvements being made to our stores to make shopping trips easier for customers.'

About a year ago, it was reported that supermarkets in West Norfolk were facing a £100 fine for each trolley picked up bearing their name, in a council crackdown on fly-tipping.

Officials hired a specialist company to recover those which were left behind by shoppers.

Have you got a bugbear about something that's spoiling the area where you live in Norwich? Email david.bale2@archant.co.uk