Readers have reacted after more than a dozen trolleys stolen from supermarkets in Bitterne Village and abandoned in a housing estate were branded an eyesore.

At least one resident of MacArthur Crescent in Bitterne has collected a tally of 20 shopping trolleys left outside a block of council flats.

Eight of the trolleys belong to Sainsbury’s, while 12 were taken from an Iceland store.

Both shops are located little more than half a mile away in Bitterne Village.

Commenting on the story, Wolfgang StJohn said: "Put there by someone who should be evicted. The council will do nothing."

Robert Painton said: "Probably just one person's hoard.

"Contact the shop; they have a duty to recollect abandoned trolleys."

Janette Reeves added: "I bet if there was a monetary reward for returning them, they'd soon disappear."

Shannon Blacktopp said: "Someone could just come and collect them?"

A spokesperson for Southampton City Council added: “Southampton City Council is aware of the issue of shopping trollies being removed from local supermarkets and is in contact with the retailers concerned.

“We urge people not to wheel shopping trollies home as these are the supermarket’s property.

“By discarding these trollies in the community, people are creating a nuisance for other residents as well as causing unnecessary work for our staff.”

In a statement, a spokesperson for Sainsbury’s said: “Our Bitterne store has arranged for the trollies to be collected as soon as possible.

“We work with a specialist contractor to retrieve trollies and ask anyone who sees one to report it on the TrolleyWise website.”

The Echo has also contacted Iceland for comment.