'People have left all sorts of items during the years, but the most remarkable has to be the baby'

A baby and thousands of pounds in cash are among the “items” left in vehicles operated by Boro Taxis, one of the largest taxi firms in the North-east.

The firm, which handles between 70,000 and 80,000 jobs per week, has been trawling through its records to pinpoint the most unusual things found by its staff.

The list of top ten “weirdest” lost property included dead mice, a goldfish, false teeth and an artificial leg.

Founder of Boro Taxis, Mohammed Bashir said: “People have left all sorts of items in our taxis and mini buses during the years, from the mundane to the bizarre, but the most remarkable has to be the baby.

“At the opposite end of the spectrum the most common thing we find on the floors and seats of our taxis is mobile phones.”

One forgetful customer managed to leave a baby behind after a trip. The youngster, believed to be less than a year old was taken to a police station after the fare failed to return.

Mr Bashir added: “If it’s not obvious to whom the property belongs, our policy is to hand it to the police in accordance with licensing conditions

“We would advise passengers to check before leaving our vehicles to ensure that they have all their belongings with them to avoid any inconvenience.”

Other finds included £6,000 in cash belonging to a Middlesbrough businessman. The money was found in a bag by a Boro Taxis car cleaner.

Contact details were found in the bag and it was reunited with its owner, who gave the car cleaner a £30 reward.

Another taxi collected an elderly woman to take her to the post office. Seconds after dropping off the lady and driving away, the driver noticed a brown envelope on the back seat.

He stopped to investigate and found it contained £1,000 in cash. He immediately returned to the post office and handed the envelope to the lady. The driver said she was in such a state of shock, she didn’t say anything - not even thank you.

The dead mice, which were in a container, were intended as snake food.

1. Baby

2. Two dead mice

3. £6,000 - mixture of pounds and American dollars

4. £1,000 in a brown envelope

5. Goldfish in a plastic bag of water

6. Violin

7. False Teeth

8. Artificial Leg

9. Large Tent

10. Zimmer Frame