TfL’s lost property from stuffed animals to a false leg left on London Underground
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TfL’s lost property office brings in more than 200,000 items each year, these days housing them in West Ham until they’re claimed.
MyLondon got to take a look behind the scenes to see what commuters have left behind on the Tube, Overground, Elizabeth line, DLR, buses and trams.
And there was a real array of stuff.
On the many shelves of a near unfathomable amount of things lay a portable heater, a prosthetic leg, a signed photo of Tottenham Hotspur superstar striker, Son Heung-min, a stuffed pufferfish and fox, musical instruments, full suitcases, video recorders, paintings, expensive jewelry, and many, many items of clothing.
Owners have 90 days to collect their items, otherwise they automatically become TfL property. The possessions are then auctioned off or sent to charity.
Before that, they are first taken into the office in massive lorry loads – usually delivered every morning. Up to 6,000 things can arrive per week. Then they are processed onto TfL’s system. No detail is too small during this, as an item could be identified using the slightest scuff or imperfection.
As they await collection, they are stored on shelves in their respective sections. These include clothes, handbags, luggage books, umbrellas and miscellaneous stuff such as pieces of technology and toys.
Have you spotted something of yours in TfL’s lost property office? You can book an appointment to collect it here.
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Abdil holding a stuffed fox wearing a crown – one of the strangest items found on the network
(Image: Facundo Arrizabalaga/MyLondon)Abdil Yussuf with a bag full of lost pairs of spectacles
(Image: Facundo Arrizabalaga/MyLondon)Abdil Yussuf with a prosthetic leg found in 2013
(Image: Facundo Arrizabalaga/MyLondon)Unclaimed items sit in the lost property office for 90 days
(Image: Facundo Arrizabalaga/MyLondon)A painting has been misplaced by its owner
(Image: Facundo Arrizabalaga/MyLondon)A massive clock is on one of the shelves
(Image: Facundo Arrizabalaga/MyLondon)There are endless shelves of items
(Image: Facundo Arrizabalaga/MyLondon)The centre take in more than 200,000 items each year
(Image: Facundo Arrizabalaga/MyLondon)Things are sorted into categories
(Image: Facundo Arrizabalaga/MyLondon)Many handbags are awaiting their owners
(Image: Facundo Arrizabalaga/MyLondon)Unclaimed water bottle sit in the lost property office of the TfL
(Image: Facundo Arrizabalaga/MyLondon)Golf clubs and animal boxes have been left on public transport
(Image: Facundo Arrizabalaga/MyLondon)Some upset children will be missing their toys
(Image: Facundo Arrizabalaga/MyLondon)Lots of items are yet to be sorted
(Image: Facundo Arrizabalaga/MyLondon)Lots of paperwork has been misplaced
(Image: Facundo Arrizabalaga/MyLondon)Lots of books have been left on seats
(Image: Facundo Arrizabalaga/MyLondon)A mountain of lost hats
(Image: Facundo Arrizabalaga/MyLondon)A wall of umbrellas faces down staff
(Image: Facundo Arrizabalaga/MyLondon)Identifying features of items are recorded
(Image: Facundo Arrizabalaga/MyLondon)The centre from above
(Image: Facundo Arrizabalaga/MyLondon)Diana Quaye is the lost property office’s performance manager
(Image: Facundo Arrizabalaga/MyLondon)Source link