Protect your garden

With the ever increasing popularity of gardening programmes we are all spending more on our gardens. But are we covered when our gnomes go AWOL?

Are you covered?

With the average family spending between £100 and £600 a year on their gardens and the latest Home Office figures revealing that thefts from British gardens are on the increase - around 5,000 British gardens are targeted by thieves every week now is a good time to look at your garden security.

Which? magazine estimates that gardeners face a bill of around £100m thanks to thieves and vandals so make time to focus on making your garden safe and checking that your insurance policy will pay out if your garden is targeted.

Garden accessories

According to the Association of British Insurers, cover for garden accessories, such as plants, statues and lawns, which have been known to be stolen, is not common on most household contents policies.

Malcolm Tarling of the ABI, said: "It is very difficult to get plant cover. There is a limit on property left in the garden, or left in the open. Items will usually need to be in a locked garage or shed."

Which insurance policy is best for you?

So if your garden is your pride and joy and you have a lot of expensive plants then check they will be covered.

Eagle Star, Royal & SunAlliance and MoreThan all offer specific cover for plants. Some insurers such as Norwich Union will cover your plants and garden furniture with its Home & Garden policy if you pay an extra premium. Check out the single item limits and excesses on all policies before you work out whether one will suit you or not.

There are a few simple things that you can do which will help reduce your risk of garden theft. A properly secure garden will help protect your home from theft too.

The garden

If someone can get into your garden easily without attracting suspicion, it gives them more time to steal from you.

Make sure your fences and gates in good repair.

Install security lighting. Low energy dusk to dawn lighting using a light sensor is environmentally friendly and cheap to run. (9 watt lighting to the front and 11 or 16 watt lighting for the side and rear).

Don't leave things outside all year (ornaments, furniture, tools) which could be removed easily or used to break into your house. Secure them in position or fill with heavy gravel to prevent easy carrying.

If there overgrown areas where someone could hide cut them back so you can see what's going on.

Gravel on paths and driveways can alert you to someone approaching so intruders will not be so keen.

Prickly plants and trellis can provide extra protection from the intruder. Criminals do not like climbing through prickly plants and hedges. They know that a small item of ripped clothing or blood can help the police identify them.

A water feature not only looks great in the garden but a pond can also form a barrier to prevent a thief from getting to a vulnerable shed or house window. But this may not be practicable if you have small children.

The general rule for the front of the house is to keep boundary fences and hedges low to allow as much natural surveillance as possible from neighbours and passing pedestrians and traffic. Keep shrubs and trees well pruned to avoid any hiding places.

The rear garden should have a secure boundary and gates, which should be of sufficient height to make scaling them difficult. A thief hates to be cornered and will always be looking for escape routes.

The plants

Plants and trees can be very attractive to the thief, and difficult to secure.

If you are using plant pots, buy the heaviest you can. Pots can be secured to the ground using a variety of methods from strong glues to bolts through the patio.

Expensive plants can be secured in the ground using wire and pegs around the root ball. These are hidden from view when planting is completed, but make the plant very difficult to remove.

Expensive plants should be planted where they can be seen from the house or by neighbours.

Sheds and outbuildings

Without realising it, you probably have a lot of valuable property in your sheds and outbuildings and you don't pay as much attention to security as you should.

According to police statistics, the most likely items to be stolen are mowers, strimmers, chain saws, hedge trimmers, garden furniture and plants. And power tools, cycles, golf clubs etc are all expensive to replace and attractive to thieves.

Checklist

Keep your shed and all its contents safe from thieves by folliwng our handy checklist:

Make sure that your shed is secure - no loose boards or damage that could help a thief gain access. If it has, don't delay - FIX it now!

Make sure your doors are secure. Shed doors are notoriously easy to get into so strengthen the door and frame if you can. Outside door hinges should be secured with coach bolts or non-return screws. Use strong padbars and close shackle padlocks. Up and over garage doors can be secured by putting padlocks through the inside runners or by fitting padlocks with a hasp and staple on either side of the door. There are other effective devices available which stop the door being lifted. 5-lever mortice locks are the best on normal solid doors.

Ensure the windows are secure. Be certain to replace cracked glass. You could use Perspex or polycarbonate sheet if well fixed and consider fitting reinforced glass. Use a window lock on opening windows and a strong grille or heavy wire mesh. Consider using net curtains to deter casual viewing.

Use an alarm - battery operated alarms may act as a deterrent. If you have a house alarm, you could have it upgraded to include your shed or garage. If the garage is an integral part of your house, make sure the alarm conforms to BS 4737.

If the garage is linked to your house, is the connecting door as well protected as the main door? If not, upgrade the door security now!

Property

Check what you keep in the shed.

Confirm your insurance cover the shed and garage and all the equipment you store there?

By post-coding all your property it means that you can identify it if it is stolen. Most items can be post-coded by a variety of methods (etching, branding, paint stencilling etc).
This acts as a deterrent as it makes the items less easy to sell and means the thief would have to spend time trying to remove such marks so easily identifiable items make them more difficult for a thief to dispose of and therefore less likely to take in the first place.

Make a note of serial numbers of all equipment.

Photograph any valuable items - statues etc as well as equipment - and put the photos somewhere safe.

Secure all property within the shed. This means that even if someone does break into it, they would not just be able to walk off with all your valuable items.
Chain cycles, mowers, ladders and tools to a strong anchor point such as metal rings fixed in concrete to the floor - use a padlock, which should be no more than 2.5 inches wide and made of hardened steel. The lock should have no less than five pins. A closed shackle type will reduce the risk of the lock being forced.

As sheds are not designed for safe storage, would it be better to have a strong lockable box or cage inside your shed - preferably fixed to the floor?

Ask your neighbours to keep their eye on your shed as well as the house and do the same for them in return. If you've hidden your shed so it can't be seen, cut down some foliage so you're not providing cover for a thief.

When you've made your garden, shed or any outbuildings more secure, remember to lock things away every time. It only takes a minute to pick something up and walk off, so don't be tempted to leave everything out while you go inside for a cup of tea. And NEVER leave cycles unlocked.

Your pets

And finally, dog theft from garden is becoming a serious problem. Around 135,000 dogs a year go missing and some of them are even held for ransom. According to the Missing Pet Bureau dog breeds most at risk from theft are:- English Springer Spaniels, Border Terriers, Boxers, Yorkshire Terriers, Labrador Retrievers.

Sources

The Government Crime Reduction Unit, Dorset Police, Gloucestershire Police.

Plant recommendations

Rosewall
Makes a fast growing impenetrable hedge, growing 3 - 4 feet in 12 months.

Pyracantha
Is excellent for hedging, growing under windows or around doorways, a beautiful display of red or orange during winter.

Berberis
Good for hedging and growing by walls. It has very sharp spine like prickles, which are barely visible.

Holly
Many attractive varieties some variegated. Also can be planted in any area needing protection.

Japonica
Can be trained up walls or pruned into a bush

Hawthorn
Makes a good hedge or pruned bush.

Pampas grass
An excellent plant to put in a vulnerable corner, it has razor sharp leaves.

Rambling roses
Make good cover for drainpipes or along the tops of walls.

Rosa rogosa
Excellent as an impenetrable hedge.

Acacia (golden frisia)
Can be trained against a wall or bush or grow into a small tree.

Mahonia aquafolium
Good used among other prickly shrubs or under windows.

Acanthus
Grow lethal spines on the flower heads, a spectacular plant. Plant near any vulnerable access point, but be careful it is not where children could get scratched.

Roses
These too will deter opportunists.