SUPERMARKETS will face fines of up to £200 next year for every shopping trolley found abandoned on Oxford's streets.

Earlier this month, 50 trolleys went missing from Tesco in Cowley Road. Many are believed to have been taken by students who then abandon them.

Now city council leaders want to use new legislation to curb the problem.

They have asked lawyers to seek powers under the Environmental Protection Act 1990 which allow local authorities to seize, store and dispose of abandoned shopping and luggage trolleys. Councils can also charge supermarkets for the cost of collection and storage.

The council will now contact retailers, businesses, residents, the Environment Agency and the police on the issue over the coming month, and will then give three months' notice before the legislation is enforced.

Jean Fooks, executive member for a cleaner city, said: "Abandoned trolleys have been an issue for the city for many years and I am very glad that we are now moving towards being able to tackle this environmental nuisance more effectively.

"We have to carry out the statutory consultation before we can resolve to adopt the powers which would allow us to seize abandoned trolleys.

"They are becoming a real nuisance around the city, but the problem is largely due to Tesco trolleys being taken, particularly in East Oxford.

"In a lot of cases students take their shopping home in a trolley and then abandon the trolley, so we need to get in touch with universities to urge students not to do this.

"But the key to solving this is to get supermarkets to ensure that their trolleys cannot be removed from the premises."

Earlier this month, Den Mallon, manager of Tesco in Cowley Road, said he was forced to order a new fleet of trolleys to replace those that had disappeared over a five-week period.

He added that a van was being sent out to fetch dumped trolleys, and trolleys with wheel locks would be introduced when the store was revamped in January.

Trolleys have also been taken from the Asda store in Wheatley over recent months.

Sid Phelps, chairman of the city council's environment scrutiny committee, said: "I don't know why it has taken so long to get to this point, but having the power to issue fines will get supermarket bosses to focus on this issue.

"We have tried talking to supermarkets nicely and they promised to do something. Now there is the real prospect of fines I am sure they will start to bring in changes."