Basket amnesty for the light-fingered of Lewis

FOR years supermarkets have tried to devise ways to stop people stealing trolleys.

But now it seems people have set their sights on baskets, with gardeners seemingly pinching them in order to “grow young plants”.

Tesco has been forced to remove shopping baskets from its Stornoway store on the Isle of Lewis after revealing up to 15 were being stolen every week. The store has offered a “no questions asked” basket amnesty while it awaits replacements.

Catherine Fraser wrote on the store’s Facebook page: “They are used a lot for gardening, growing young plants, some are used inside car boots for sorting out shopping into, some for storing [items].”

A Tesco spokesman said: “To make sure we can offer everyone a basket, we’ve ordered extra, but… we’ve asked the community to help by returning any they may have.”