Lost Property Shortlist From Britain's Coaches Revealed

Some of the bizarre and wacky items including the base of a full sized piano, a trumpet, and astonishingly, a glass eye have been found aboard Britain's coaches over the course of the last year, a survey has shown.

After being inspired by the naming of the Top 10 books left on Virgin flights over the festive period and hotel chain Travelodge's lost property revelations, travel company Door2Tour.com, surveyed 22 of its featured tour operators to find out what were the most commonly found items on coaches during 2011.

The most frequently abandoned or left behind belongings included various mobile and smart phones, which made up 57% of operator’s lost property boxes, plus an array of electrical items ranging from digital cameras, to laptops and games consoles.

The survey also unveiled a range of more curious items. Among the more perplexing paraphernalia collected were a horse shoe, false teeth, an arm hook, and a bag of plants.

Another common item to feature was walking sticks, prompting one baffled operator to beg the question: "If [passengers] need a stick to walk with, how do they get home without it?"

Reading glasses, mobile phones, countless books (mysteries and romance novels were the favourites), items of clothing (including a lone shoe, a pair of ski boots and a pair of trousers), suitcases, passports and keys were also among the frequently found.

A wedding ring had also been found on one coach.

Kate Glanfield, the firm's Web Manager, commented: "We were surprised and tickled to discover such a diverse array of objects left in lost property, especially ones which people evidently needed at the start of their trip.

"The range of electrical goods discovered also goes to show that the over 55s really are embracing technology. Either that or we’re seeing a more youthful audience on board our coaches."

The company said that clothes and other non-perishables tend to be kept for a period of a couple of months before being passed on to charity. The owners of more serious items like lost passports and wallets are contacted but if still not reunited with them after a year, they are eventually shredded.

(GK)