And Finally... Snakes, rabbits and whips found at student digs

By James Shepherd on Jun 25, 09 11:48 AM in News

A six-foot snake, a rabbit and a whip are among items left behind in college digs at the end of term, says student housing provider Unite.

An audit by Unite has revealed that trophy traffic cones and road signs are no longer the must-have collectibles.

Instead, students are leaving behind a more eclectic collection of items when they leave their digs at the end of the year.

Pets were among the most unusual items left behind, as well as the rabbit, Unite found a pair of budgies, and a six foot snake. One person left frozen chicken feet. Other items included an inflatable pool - which was filled with water - a scuba diving suit and a pole-dancing pole.

The audit actually reported a record low in the number of traffic cones, street signs and cardboard cut-outs left by students. The most common items left behind were mobile phone chargers (24%), while almost one in five (19%) of the items found were text books and one in ten (11%) were i-Pods.

Nathan Goddard, Unite sales and marketing director, said: "After a year of working hard and playing hard, it is no surprise that students forget to pack everything at the end of term - and what they leave behind never fails to surprise us.

"From the risque to the ridiculous, we often wonder how these items make it into their rooms in the first place."

Unite, which has properties in 23 UK cities and towns, said it tries to reunite students with their belongings. Unclaimed items are donated to charity or recycled.

And all pets are found a good home.