Home insurance required to fight garden thieves

Posted : 02-05-2006

Homeowners are being urged to check their home insurance policies cover garden goods, as new research reveals some £295 million worth of goods are stolen every year from people's gardens.

Research from Churchill Home Insurance revealed that the average garden contains £738 worth of goods, such as tools, plants, garden decorations, garden furniture and barbecues.

In addition to this, British homeowners plan to spend a further £166 million on plants, pond fixtures and ornaments this summer.

However, given the value of garden goods too few homeowners are taking sufficient caution to prevent theft. More than a third of amateur gardeners said they felt their garden were not sufficiently secure, 34 per cent said they felt their garden shed was accessible to the general public, ten per cent said they did not bother to lock their outbuildings, while a cavalier 51 per cent left belongings outside following a garden party or barbecue.

But considering some 23 per cent of households have had their garden and shed contents stolen, owners are reminded how crucial it is to take out adequate home insurance cover if they are not to pay the full price for their complacency.

Martin Scott, head of Churchill Home Insurance, said: "It is clear that garden security is not always at the forefront of many householder’s minds. Nevertheless, thefts from the garden and outbuildings are very prevalent at this time of year.

"It is in householder's interests to take reasonable precautions such as fitting locks to gates, sheds and outbuildings and not leaving possessions in the garden after use."

The five items most commonly stolen from gardens and out houses were plants and flowers, bicycles, clothing from washing lines, gardening equipment and lawn mowers.


© Adfero Ltd

The views expressed within the article are entirely those of Adfero Ltd and are not those of BDML Connect Ltd