Tesco to unlock tens of thousands of trolleys after missing deadline for new one pound coin

Supermarket giant Tesco will unlock 100,000 of its coin-operated shopping trolleys after it failed to convert them in time for the circulation of the new £1.
The new, lighter and reportedly more secure 12-sided coin enters circulation on Tuesday, beginning a six-month transition period before the old “round pound” ceases to be legal tender. 
Meanwhile, supermarkets such as Sainsbury’s, Asda, Morrisons, Lidl and Aldi have said all of their trolleys have been updated ahead of the Tuesday deadline. 
Local authorities are already coping with a surge in the number of abandoned trolleys, after a tax on plastic bags came into force that encouraged some shoppers to leave supermarkets with the carts.
Tesco said trolleys across “fewer than 200” of its shops will be unlocked from Tuesday as the store upgrades them to accept the new coin.
A Tesco spokesperson offered assurances that all trolleys would be upgraded by the time the new round pound ceases to be legal tender on 15 October.
“We’re replacing the locks on our trolleys to accept old and new pound coins as well as existing trolley tokens,” they said.
“As an interim measure we will unlock trolleys while this process is completed and we will continue to have colleagues on hand to attend trolleys in our stores, so our customers aren’t affected by the changes.”
It recently emerged that the new £1 coin could pose problems for drivers, with an estimated one in ten parking meters not ready for the change.