Gran's lost luggage hell over Christmas

A GRANDMOTHER was left without any clothes or presents over Christmas after her suitcase was taken by mistake.

Rachel Sabin was travelling from Nottingham to Manchester on December 23 when her suitcase – containing clothes, presents from her family and presents for her friends – was mistakenly taken from the coach.

Rachel discovered the suitcase had been taken when she arrived in Manchester. This was eventually traced back to a couple who had taken the wrong luggage in Chesterfield.

But despite the couple contacting Rachel, of Lauriston Drive, Basford, the next day to tell her they had put the suitcase back on a coach at Sheffield to be returned to her in Manchester, she still has not got it back.

"I'm absolutely mortified," said the 42-year-old grandmother of two.

"I have got no clothes and nothing. All I had was the clothes that I stood up in.

"I'm not working at the moment so I had to go to charity shops to get new clothes."

Rachel said she was also unable to speak to her grandchildren – aged two and four months – over Christmas, because her mobile phone charger was also in the suitcase.

Rachel was travelling on the National Express service to Manchester to stay with friends for Christmas and was planning to go from there to Leeds to celebrate the New Year – but is still unsure if she will get her luggage back in time.

She said National Express contacted her on Christmas Eve to say they were unable to confirm whether her luggage would be on the coach because they couldn't get hold of her driver, who had actually taken over the coach at Nottingham after the scheduled coach had a burst tyre en route to Nottingham.

Rachel added: "At first I wasn't too worried, I thought 'these things happen' and someone has taken it off at Chesterfield.

"But National Express couldn't even tell me if was going to be there on Christmas Eve because they said they couldn't get hold of the driver.

"When I told them it would cost me a lot of money to get into Manchester to get it I thought they would courier it over, but they said there was nothing they could do and I would have to wait until after Christmas.

"It ruined my Christmas and now I'm worried that I won't get it back."

A spokesperson from National Express said: "We received a record of Miss Sabin's lost luggage on December 24 and are currently investigating. We have a dedicated team who work to reunite customers with their left and lost luggage and will be in touch with Miss Sabin."

claire.carter@nottinghameveningpost.co.uk