GLASS eyes, funeral urns containing ashes, a plaster cast of a foot, and a baby are just some of the more unusual things that people have left on buses.

Absent minded people in Hertfordshire, the rest of the Shires and Essex, have left so many weird and wonderful things on buses it has prompted bus company Arriva to start a campaign to remind passengers to take all their personal belongings with them.

Commercial director Mr Brian Drury said: "We've had everything you can think of - Zimmer frames, crutches, huge artist portfolios, pushchairs, musical instruments plus items you would not expect to find such as a glass eye, a funeral urn complete with ashes, a baby and a plaster cast of a foot."

Arriva said that wherever possible items are returned to their owners who often cannot believe they were able to forget their belongings in the first place.

Mr Drury added: "In one case a mother was very new to parenthood and it was her first trip on the bus with her baby. She realised immediately that she had left the baby behind and they were reunited very quickly."

June 26, 2002 18:00