Inside the wildest lost property boxes across the East Midlands - where unbelievable items are found

New research has revealed the unbelievable items found unclaimed in East Midlands school lost property boxes.

Wedding rings and expensive necklaces. House keys belonging to parents. High-end, designer clothing. These are just some of the bizarre items sitting unloved and unclaimed in school lost property boxes across the East Midlands, according to a new study.

The research, conducted by the UK's number one children’s name sticker and iron-on name label brand, My Nametags, surveyed teachers across the UK from nurseries all the way through to universities, asking about their experiences dealing with lost property.

The most common item left in East Midlands’ schools was a single shoe or boot, with two thirds of teachers (66 per cent) finding one in lost property. Second was an item of designer clothing, including branded backpacks and expensive jackets (48 per cent). And nearly half (45 per cent) have discovered wireless headphones or earbuds worth hundreds of pounds.

But it is the more peculiar items that paint the most vivid picture. More than a third of teachers have found parents’ house or car keys in lost property, leaving them to question how a parent can continue day-to-day life without them. And one in five (20 per cent) have discovered high-value jewellery, including wedding rings and expensive necklaces.

Remarkably, East Midlands teachers were 7 per cent more likely to find a live pet or small animal, compared to other regions. Accounts from UK teachers included a tortoise, a hamster, and a turtle that “made a break for it” during show and tell, which was later discovered making its home in the school pond.

However, behind the unusual items left lies a serious and increasing problem – the growing tide of unclaimed school lost property. More than a quarter (27 per cent) of teachers say pupils are leaving behind valuable items more than they used to. What makes this worse is that almost half (48 per cent) of teachers in the East Midlands say unusual or expensive items are almost never labelled.

Lars B. Andersen, managing director at My Nametags, said: “These findings confirm what teachers across the UK, not just in the East Midlands, have known for years – lost property is a real concern and is placing a growing burden on schools, on teachers’ time, and on the families whose children’s belongings are ending up unclaimed,” says

“What concerns me most is the sense that lost items have become disposable. This is an alarming trend for household budgets, for the environment, and for the values we are passing on to our children. Our own previous research into the environmental cost of lost property found that school jumpers alone generate more than 7,000 tonnes of plastic waste per year in the UK, the equivalent of 455 million plastic bottles ending up in landfill.”

She added: “Our message to parents is really simple – label everything. It gives your child’s belongings a real chance of finding their way home, whether that is a school jumper, a pair of expensive headphones, or maybe even a single shoe.”