Suitcase full of potatoes left on Oxford bus

Jade Dixon said the company collected a 'lot of unusual items'

Suitcases containing potatoes, adult toys and mannequin heads were left behind on buses in Oxford in 2017.

The Oxford Bus Company's lost property department said 4,123 items were left on its services over the year.

Most items were never reclaimed - only 964 were collected by passengers. The unclaimed lost property is given to local charities.

Lost property included a monocle, ski sticks, a Soviet Union hat, false teeth and a dog skeleton Halloween costume.

Customer relations officer Jade Dixon said: "We always seek to reunite passengers with their belongings and we encourage everyone to check they have their personal items before leaving our buses.

"Unfortunately a lot of things do get left behind and we hold them for a fixed period in case they are claimed.

"Clothing and mobile phones are commonly left on buses, but we do collect a lot of unusual items as well.

"Drivers who find an item that is not claimed are entitled to it, but we do find ourselves with a huge number of unclaimed belongings every year."

The company donates all its unrecovered finds, many of which are clothing and household items, to local charities.

Reclaiming property costs passengers a £1 administration fee, which goes towards storage costs, the company said.

Items found on Oxford Bus Company vehicles in 2017 included:

• A rucksack full of adult toys

• A monocle

• A dog skeleton Halloween costume

• A Soviet Union hat

• A suitcase full of potatoes

• A suitcase with two mannequin heads

• An electric bike

• Ski sticks

• A trumpet

• A pair of false teeth