A prosthetic leg, a cage-less hamster and a wig are among the unusual items that have been left behind on Northern rail services.
The train operator has recorded more than 32,690 instances of lost property since July 2022, with phones and laptops being the most commonly forgotten items among the more bizarre discoveries.
Other forgotten items include a cupboard, crutches, an ironing board and a 10kg box of chicken breasts. One passenger even left their bike on the train while still wearing their helmet, and another reached out to Northern in search of a plain white handkerchief.
Northern is urging passengers to ensure they have all their personal belongings before disembarking. Leeds and Manchester Piccadilly stations are the hotspots for lost property, but items are frequently found at stations and on services across the operator’s network.
Alex Hornby, commercial and customer director, said: “We understand that losing something can be extremely stressful so we often remind customers to make sure they have all of their personal belongings before leaving the train.
“Unattended bags our trains and at our stations can also prompt security alerts which cause delays and disruption.
“When a passenger comes forward to report lost property our staff work hard to track down that item and reunite them – but it’s no mean feat.”
For further details on what to do if you’ve left an item on a Northern train, visit their website at northernrailway.co.uk/travel/lost-property
Northern is the UK’s second largest train operator and runs nearly 2,500 services daily, serving more than 500 stations across the North of England.