A recent survey by Europcar has revealed that customers leave behind some pretty strange things, including furry handcuffs, a wheelchair, half a pint of lager, a false leg and a CD guide to speed seduction.

But it is expected that the occasional item would be left behind, given the size of Europcar which leases thousands of cars each day.

The survey revealed that the most common items found in returned rental vehicles were usually keys and mobile phones, but some of the rarer finds include a bagpiper’s black ostrich feather hat, a mannequin and even 4 dozen light bulbs.

Along with the bizarre missing items are the strange excuses customers come up with when faced with the prospect of paying for the damage on a hired car.   Some of the excuses are legitimate but downright unlucky, others border on absurdity.

One man had claimed that a horse leaned on the back of the car causing damage, whilst another said that a lion had attacked and damaged his bumper whilst visiting the Longleat Safari Park.  Another case includes a man who drove into the back of a woman’s rental car in Derbyshire, who said that he dropped his ice-cream, which led to the accident.

A spokesperson for Europcar says that there is never a dull day in the world of car rentals, and have gone to great lengths to return lost and missing items left behind in rental cars.