AN INVENTOR has found the solution to finding the 1000 items of baggage lost by British people in airports everyday. David Pearce spent two years developing his idea to tag baggage with individual codes, allowing customers lost baggage to find its owner,

AN INVENTOR has found the solution to finding the 1000 items of baggage lost by British people in airports everyday.

David Pearce spent two years developing his idea to tag baggage with individual codes, allowing customers' lost baggage to find its owner, rather than the other way around.

Following high level discussions, bosses at Stansted Airport have decided to join the scheme.

Mr Pearce, who founded his company BaggagePIN in 2007, said: "The number of suitcases lost could be reduced if the service is also adopted by baggage handling companies.

"The problem has been that passengers leave their cases without identity or they use unreliable labelling systems which come off.

"Currently it is impossible for airlines to contact the owner or return a suitcase once it is in a lost baggage area."

He added: "We are very excited that we have been able to get to this stage. This could solve the problem of lost baggage forever."

The system provides a link between handlers and owners, using a coded tag fixed to each suitcase.

Passengers - who subscribe online at www.baggagepin.com - are allocated a code and sent a tag and security strap that can be securely attached to their case, providing baggage handlers with the information to contact the owner by text message.