Prosthetic leg, hamster and a large box of chicken breasts among lost property left on Northern Rail

A prosthetic leg, an ironing board and a hamster are among the items Northern Rail passengers have left behind.

The train operator said the examples were among more than 32,690 incidents of lost property recorded since July 2022.

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

Northern Rail train services cover a large area of the North of England, including Chester, Liverpool, Blackpool in the west, Carlisle and Newcastle in the North, to Whitby, Scarborough, Hull and Cleethorpes in the east and Nottingham, Stoke-on-Trent and Crewe in the south.

Mobile phones and laptops are among 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.”