GAZETTE & HERALD: Chippenham Safeway opens its doors as Morrisons today after a five-day re-fit, but along with new store features, branding and aisle changes, customers will also have to get used to being charged for their trolleys.

Morrisons, like a growing number of other supermarket chains, will be operating a coin release trolley system, where all the trolleys are chained together and a one pound coin is needed to release one.

The pound coin then stays inside the locking mechanism until a trolley is pushed back into the trolley rack and the pound coin is released.

Popular in town centre stores as a way to dissuade customers from walking off with trolleys, the system is still quite rare in out-of-town locations such as the former Safeway on West Cepen Way.

Morrisons, however, has defended its decision to introduce the scheme.

"We operate this system in all of our stores," said spokesman Zoe Varley.

"It dissuades people from abandoning trolleys in the car park which can then go on to damage cars, and it also stops people from stealing them and dumping them.

"People get their pound back. We also have a brand new fleet of trolleys, so there won't be any wonky ones for people to deal with either.

"In addition, we will be selling coin-shaped tokens in store for £1 each, which people can put on their key rings and use again and again. All proceeds will go to Diabetes UK."

Chippenham Mayor Ross Henning applauded the move, saying all supermarkets should follow suit.

"I think schemes where you pay a pound to use a trolley and then get it back are a great idea for Chippenham," he said.

"It deters people from pinching and dumping them and anything that stops trolleys being dumped in the River Avon, one of the most important areas of our town, is a good thing."

Lyndon Evans, manager of Somerfield in Emery Gate shopping centre, also supports the system, but said it was more important in town centre locations.

"Here in Chippenham we are situated in a precinct, sharing a car park, including an underground car park, with all the other shops and businesses, but even though you need to put a refundable pound in for one of our trolleys, we still get kids doing that and sending a whole line of trolleys shooting down the slope towards the car park," said Mr Evans.

"A standard trolley costs around £75 to £80 and we have had to fish them out of the River Avon," he said.

"We have particular trouble with people damaging the trolleys used for babies, as we are unable to put chains on them for health and safety reasons.

"Trolleys can be blown into cars in the car park if it is windy, but we don't get that very often.

"Personally I don't think Morrisons would have as much of a need for this system as a town centre supermarket, because their car park is their own. But I think all supermarkets will go this way eventually."

Iceland in Chippenham High Street also operate coin-release trolleys and assistant manager Pete Bailey said most people are happy with the system.

"Without this system we could be losing trolleys daily," said Mr Bailey.

"Some people complain if they haven't got change on them, but I think most people know why we do it and think it's a good idea.

"Even so, we have had to have a few fished out of the river.

"I'm a bit surprised Morrisons is doing it though, because they haven't got that many houses near them and people would have to push them a long way to steal them."

But Kevin Smith, store manager for Sainsbury's in Bath Road, said paying for trolleys could inhibit people's shopping.

He said: "I can only speak for my location here in Chippenham, not for Sainsbury's corporately, but I don't think you should make shopping that difficult. It's an inhibitor, a barrier that we don't feel we need here in Chippenham. We do have some trolleys that we have to go and retrieve, but not that many and we don't plan to introduce a coin system here."