In the last year, more items than ever before were handed into the Lost Property Office run by Transport for London. It is one of the busiest offices of its kind in the UK and handles property which has been left on the London Underground and Overground, buses, licensed taxis, the DLR or at Victoria Coach Station. In the last 12 months more than 207,000 items of property were given in.

Paul Cowan, Lost Property Manager for Transport for London, said every effort was made to reunite items with their owners. Lost property will be kept for three months during which time staff will try to track down the owner using a variety of techniques including a computer system called Sherlock.

If after three months the property remains unclaimed it will be recycled, auctioned off or given to charity. Approximately one of every three items given in to lost property makes it back to the owner.

The most common item of lost property is books. More than 41,000 were handed in over the last year. After books it was bags and clothing. However, the range of items being handed in also included suitcases, power tools, schoolwork, toys and crutches.

Cowan said he would advise all those travelling on the London transport network to keep a close eye on their belongings but to get in contact with the Lost Property Office in the event that something is mislaid. He added that people tended to be honest and that passengers who think they have lost something forever may well find it sitting on his shelves.