A DEAD goat and an unopened bag of fish and chips are just two of the unusual items fleet drivers have left in their end-of-contract cars (this is not an April Fool).

As part of the Fleet News Health and Safety survey, sponsored by Nissan, respondents were asked to name the oddest things left in a car by fleet drivers when returned to the employer. These included a chainsaw, a dead goat, shop dummy, used nappies, false teeth, stockings and suspenders, bulk supply of feminine hygiene products, pair of knickers, a G-string, condoms, a microwave, an unopened bag of fish and chips under the passenger seat of a van (probably about a week old) and a full set of 'ladies' stockings, panties and suspenders in the glove box.

Fleet drivers are also as creative when it comes to giving excuses for the cause of an accident. Replies included:

One guy told me he was impressed with the reversing siren. So much so that he backed into a wall while listening to it.

I didn't know my foot was still on the accelerator.

The other car shouldn't have been in my way

I swerved to hit a tree that wasn't there.

I was going the wrong way down a one way street when I hit a car which was not there when going the other way.

The horse came out of nowhere and landed on my car.

I don't know why he put his foot in the way while he was seeing me through the gap.
<.li> There were too many mini roundabouts in the road and I drove into the back of the car on the one that shouldn't have been there.

Driver blamed crash on a 'bloody woman'. She was in her upstairs window getting undressed and the driver was pre-occupied watching her. He didn't see the gate pillar for his house and peeled off the side of his Aston Martin DB7.

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