App to help find lost trolleys

The free Trolleywise app for Apple and Android devices lets users send photos of trolleys, triggering a GPS system that alerts a national collection service.

One of a fleet of 47 vans can be sent to the location within 24 hours to recover the trolley and return it to the supermarket, saving local authorities and retailers millions of pounds in costs and charges each year.

The service is backed by Sainsbury’s and Asda, but even non-subscribing stores will have their trolleys retrieved for collection from the nearest depot.

According to Trolleywise, a not-for-profit service, up to 400,000 of the more than two million trolleys in circulation go missing every year.