Tarantula skins and rowing machines: typical lost property on trains

If train services are efficient at one thing, it is telling their passengers to remember to take their belongings with them when they get off the train.

Yet thousands of travellers still leave behind their things - from laptops to teddy bears, rowing machines to sets of keys.

The lost property office for all of Wales is at Newport station. Any lost items on trains throughout Wales are sent there.

"I get in at 9 in the morning and I don't stop until it's time to go," said Gill Miles, 52, the lost property coordinator at the office in Newport. "The phone is always ringing with customers trying to find their things, and there are endless emails to reply to.

"And when I'm not dealing with the customers I actually have to deal with the lost property."

At any one moment in the office there are 1500-1800 items of lost property. In the 12 metre squared cupboard, there are suitcases stacked up to the ceiling, boxes over-brimming with hats and umbrellas, and a safe full of mobile phones, laptops and mp3 players.

And there's also the odd, sad-looking teddy bear.

"It's the rules to get rid of things that aren't collected after 12 weeks. But I keep the teddies, just in case, you know," admits Gill.

"I once had a child come in who hadn't slept for two weeks because he'd lost his bear. He looked so pleased when he was reunited with him. Since then I've always kept them."

Items which have been in the office for more than 12 weeks get sent to charities. Newport gives anything they can to St David's Foundation Hospice Care, the National Blind Children's Society, and Latch, the Children's Hospice for Wales in Cardiff.

"We also give some items to schools in the area - some have been known to go on trips with the money they raise some selling the goods," said Gill.

One thing for sure- there is never a dull day in the office.

"We get all walks of life through this office. We have to open the bags because of security, and often you can tell what a person is going to be like when they come by what they have in their case.

"I've had lots of funny things some through. I had a dead tarantula skin in a box, vibrators - the ladies always look very bashful when they come to collect those," admitted Gill.

"The saddest item I've had through was the bag of a soldier who had obviously just come back from Afghanistan. There were lots of family photos in the bag, and a letter informing him about another soldier who had been killed out there.

"We never managed to track him down though, and he never came forward."

It seems there is barely a personal belonging Gill has not dealt with. But is there one thing she just would not be able to touch?

"Yes! Maggots! And we get lots of those, let me tell you."