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The growing TfL lost property pile going unclaimed

Large cuddly toys in the lost property warehouse
A large warehouse with large cabinets full of lost property, including cuddly toys, documents and other items which aren't completely visible
Even large cuddly toys are left behind on trains, buses, taxis and trams
Nearly 300,000 items were handed in during the last year, with most of it found on London's buses

The number of lost property items being handed into Transport for London (TfL) has increased by 6% in the last year while the number of items being reclaimed has decreased.

TfL says more than 6,000 items are handed into staff every week, with all the items being sent to its lost property office - called Not Lost - in West Ham, east London.

The transport authority says items that are not claimed within three months become TfL property, but says "most items" are given to charity.

Revenue from unclaimed items sent to auction has doubled in the last year from £96,615 to £199,136.

Diana Quaye, the performance manager for TfL lost property told BBC London that every item is processed through a sorting room, and carefully labelled so it can tracked.

She said: "Any item that comes here, after three months, it becomes TfL's - where it could end up at charity, auction or be recycled".

Looking towards the mountain of cuddly toys in the warehouse, Ms Quaye said: "For the brand new toys, we collect them up and donate them to charity at the end of the year."

The lost property store at TfL celebrated its 90th birthday last year, and contains a wide range of items from lost prosthetic legs, to misplaced luggage and even a rocking horse.

From 2023 - 2024, more than 12,000 sets of keys were handed in to TfL, but only 211 were ever reclaimed.

Of the 17,000 phones lost on the network, just over 1,000 found their way back to their owners.

Ms Quaye previously told the BBC: "Unfortunately, a lot of people feel if they lose an item, nobody will hand it in."

TfL urged people who have lost items to get in touch, as it may have headed to its Not Lost storage centre in West Ham.

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