Retired policeman turned litter activist recovered scrap metal in discarded trolleys worth thousands

A retired policeman has turned litter activist and has recovered hundreds of thousands of pounds worth of scrap metal in discarded shopping trolleys.

Grandad David Saunders spotted supermarket trolleys dumped in a creek while on his regular shop five years ago and decided to take action.

He got in touch with supermarket giants Morrisons, a conservation group and the council and organised a mass clean-up.

Since then he has retrieved hundreds of abandoned trolleys near the Strood store and his mass haul has been handed over to scrap merchants and valued at hundreds of thousands of pounds.

The 70-year-old conservationist oversaw his latest operation at an area known as Jane's Creek on the River Medway.

He was joined by helpers from Medway and Swale Estuary Partnership, Medway Council's environmental team and support from Morrisons. The council's contractors Norse supplied ropes and grappling hooks.

Last year's "pull" recovered 76 trolleys, five hand baskets, two children's bikes and scaffolding which were given to a scrap dealer who valued it at about £50,000.

David, who lives in Chattenden, was hopeful he would achieve a similar result during the latest river sweep but a lack of volunteers meant they only salvaged 25.

He is hoping to return at the weekend in an attempt to get some of the 40 plus trolleys remaining in the waterway.

He said: "I was on a shopping trip when I saw the rubbish dumped in the creek and thought this is totally unacceptable.

"I'm doing this for my granddaughter Ivy.

"Why should she inherit a world polluted with plastic and rubbish?"

Six-year-old Ivy is an eco-ambassador at her school and accompanies him on rubbish cleans on the Cliffe Marshes and nearby beaches.

Kerry Ashdown, Morrisons manager, welcomed the gesture and provided refreshments as the volunteers knuckled down to the task.

She said: "It was refreshing to meet David and know that there are people who care for the community.

"It brings the area down when they are supposed to be regenerating Strood.

"We get good feedback from our customers that something is actually being done. I think it's all down to local youths having nothing to do."

Peter Garrett, the council's green space and access programme manager was on his second clean-up at the creek.

He is calling for large retail outlets using trolleys to tighten up security so vandals are prevented from getting hold of them.

Mr Garrett said: "It's important to keep on top of this, but we shouldn't have to be doing this in the first place."

The scrap metal dealers keep the trolleys and sell the scrap for themselves.