The police have defended their decision to send two Island officers out to recover shopping trolleys after negative stories appeared in the national press.

Last week the Times Guardian reported how Sheppey police officers worked with Swale council and Tesco for two hours to recover 43 abandoned trolleys from the streets of Sheerness.

National press picked up on the story and the action was branded a waste of police resources.

Area commander for mid-Kent, Ch Supt Matthew Nix, defended the move and said that there needs to be a sense of proportion.

He said the two officers were neighbourhood officers who were out on patrol, on their patch, addressing an issue which had been raised by 31 members of the public.

He said: “We worked with the council and Tesco to remove what could be described as fly-tipping, things that cause hazards and a danger and are unsightly.

“This is what community policing is about – dealing with the issues the community raises.

“At the same time on the Island and in Sittingbourne, we have been tackling criminals – with 42 drug suppliers arrested and charged and seven charged with links to the heart of a range of crimes in the area as part of an ongoing operation.

“The police service has a wide remit to tackle crime and anti-social behaviour.”

Mr Nix also said they haven’t ruled out doing another trolley collection if the public continue to raise it as an issue and he said they are working closely with Tesco.

Insp Steve Griffiths added that one of the ways Sheppey’s police team has been able to reduce crime is because members of the public are coming forward with information.

He said: “The public is trusting us and that trust and confidence has to be earned. This is one aspect of how we can achieve that.”

A spokesman for Tesco said: “Our staff carry out regular collections. If trolleys are abandoned on the streets, customers can notify the store and we will arrange to collect them.

“In this instance, a number of trolleys had been left in gated areas to which our staff had no right of access and therefore required support from the local authority.”

The phone number for Tesco Sheerness is 0845 6779619.