Royal Holloway gets trolleyed

By Steve Bax on Sep 29, 08 05:23 PM in In the newsroom

Momentous news: some Tesco trollies have been dumped in a car park at Royal Holloway College in Egham.

'So what?' you may say, but this is no isolated incident of a lone trolley being used, abused and abandon - it's 43 that have been stolen from under the supermarket's nose.

Especially remarkable is how the thief (or thieves) were able to steer that many trollies at the same direction, when, as we all know, supermarket trollies have a mind of their own.

For that matter, how were they able to accomplish the feat without anyone noticing? Perhaps they struck in the night when the store was closed.

We've been tipped off to the story by a reader, who sent us photographs and suggests we take the matter up with Tesco, the college authorities, and Surrey Police.

He says: "Needless to say, this is an intolerable situation. No-one appears to be doing anything to resolve the problem. Tesco aren't interested in being proactive, and will only respond when they are contacted about isolated incidents, and then send one man on foot to deal with the problem.

"Surrey Police have the power to fine people £80 for stealing these trolleys, but I am not aware of this ever happening. The management of the University could, quite easily, bring in a disciplinary ruling stopping any of their students from bringing these trolleys onto campus, but they have not done so, to date."

Our new Egham reporter, Russell Butt, is on to it and there should be a story on the site either Tuesday or Wednesday.

Meanwhile Adam has spoken to the lorry driver at the centre of an incident on Friday, in which a woman came off her bike and was in collision with his cab. Amazingly she wasn't killed.

I should have thought the story will be a contender for the Sunbury & Shepperton splash, but then there's also the car being driven in Tamesa House in Shepperton, so rich pickings this week.