Over the last 2½ years, passengers on trains operated by Northern have lost, mislaid, or forgotten more than 32,600 items of personal possessions.

Among the items found on Northern’s trains and stations are a prosthetic leg, a hamster without a cage, a wig, a cupboard, and crutches.

The most common items that passengers leave behind are phones and laptops, but others include an ironing board and a 10kg box of chicken breasts.

One customer even got off the train but forgot to take their bicycle, even though they were still wearing a helmet.

Among the strange requests that Northern received was a customer trying to track down a plain white handkerchief.

The operator’s hotspots for lost property hotspots are at Leeds and Manchester Piccadilly stations, but they are not the only places, as forgotten items are regularly found at stations and on trains throughout Northern’s network.

Before customers leave a train, Northern is appealing for customers to make sure they check they have all their belongings with them. Also, if they have been sitting down waiting for their train, to make sure they have not left anything behind where they had been seated.

The number of items lost by Northern customers is dwarfed by those in London, where London Transport’s Lost Property Office processes more than two hundred thousand items each year.

Elsewhere on the UK railway network, Southeastern uses a digital tracking system to identify and return lost property to their owners.

“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 at 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.” 

Alex Hornby, Northern’s commercial and customer director