Peter Davey, Barry Robinson and David Ensor used a grappling hook and rope to retrieve the trolleys from the creek.

They now have seven awaiting collection.

"The trolleys had been in the creek for weeks and nobody seemed to care,'' Mr Davey said.

"We cared enough to haul the trolleys out and park them with several others 100 metres away.''

Mr Davey and his friends then sought to have the trolleys collected but said that calls to Southgate shopping centre management and major retailers were fruitless.

Southgate centre manager Donna Karanfilovski said abandoned trolleys were not the problem of shopping centres but of the stores that owned them.

Mr Davey has since contacted Trolley Tracker, a business which reunites trolleys with retailers. For his trouble, he is in the running for a $1000 reward card.

Report missing trolleys on 1800641497 or on www.trolleytracker.com.au

Have you had trouble with a wayward shopping trolley?