Addison Lee reveals some of the weirdest items left in their London minicabs & taxis

Image credit: Addison Lee

The average person wastes around 140 days of their life looking for lost items, so there's no wonder private hire and taxi firm, Addison Lee, has created a report on some of the weirdest and most wonderful items left in private hire vehicles and taxis.

Addison Lee’s lost property manager, Graham Needham, said: “We drive thousands of passengers around London every week, and each day brings a new surprise, from meeting passengers’ lovely pets to finding their possessions. We find some of the most astonishing items in our cars, from things that will make your nan blush to loads of random cheese. One thing’s for sure, there’s never a dull day in London!”

You can see the full list of items listed below:

1. A complete set of swanky luggage

2. Plastic sword and bone

3. Large bag of scratch cards (all scratched and no winning number)

4. Trombone stand

5. A double bed (in a courier van)

6. A bronze Buddha statue

7. A Snow White outfit

8. Military medals (three in total)

9. A boot full of cheese

10. A sizeable wooden ham cutter

11. The talking bear from TED

12. Circus equipment

In the space of a year, Addison Lee drivers will find almost 900 forgotten phones, wallets/purses, and pairs of glasses in the backs of their cars, which means absent-minded travellers lose around 75 items a month on average.

When it comes to peak times for lost items, it seems we’re probably all a bit too relaxed after Christmas break: January and February win as the worst month for lost phones, with passengers forgetting double the amount of phones at the start of the year than any other time.

Addison Lee say if an item is found in one of their cars, a driver will hand your item into lost property, where it will be stored for one month. That means if you’ve lost something, you have more than enough time to get in touch and ask for it back. If Addison Lee can’t reunite an item with its owner, they are responsibly disposed of or donated to charity.