Prosthetic leg, ironing board and hamster among lost property on trains

A prosthetic leg, an ironing board and a hamster are among the things passengers have left on a train operator’s services.

Northern said these examples were among more than 32,690 incidents of lost property recorded since July 2022.

Other unusual lost items included a cupboard, a wig, crutches and a 10kg box of chicken breasts.

Mobile phones and laptops are the most common lost items.

One passenger left their bike on a train while they were still wearing a helmet.

Northern’s commercial and customer director Alex Hornby 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 on 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.”