At this time of year, with the great British summer in full flow, the great British citizen moves outdoors to the garden, park, or beach. We all hope for at least a couple of sunny days - but if the rain holds off long enough to get the barbecue going, we are usually satisfied.
We do love our gardens in this country. The queues at the tills of garden centres demonstrate this: it is amazing how much decking and potting compost you can get into a small car if you try.
The problem is that most of our garden acquisitions are expensive: hardwood tables and chairs for meals al fresco, loungers, parasols, and barbecues are all worth a lot of money and therefore worth stealing. Children’s slides, pools and trampolines also tempt thieves because they are so popular and so easy to resell.
That’s before we check the shed: lawnmowers, hedgers, strimmers, and good quality garden tools are all very easily stolen and resold at car boot sales. Plants also cost money and they can be dug up and removed in mere minutes.
The first thing the prudent householder needs to do is secure the garden as far as possible. High boundary fences with no footholds, and prickly bushes round the perimeter help, as do strong gates with proper locks or padlocks. Items like lawnmowers are safer in the garage if your shed is not of solid construction. Putting toys and deckchairs away when you go out is tedious, but it does stop opportunist thieves popping in while you pop out to the shops.
For expensive and harder-to-shift items like barbecues and tables which normally stay outdoors, it is worth investigating chaining them unobtrusively to a wall or a ring set in the ground. This applies to your plants, too, especially those in containers - garden centres sell anti-theft devices which make it harder to pick up and remove valuable shrubs. Nothing will stop a determined criminal raid on your garden, but you can make it more difficult for the thieves to carry off your valuables. It goes without saying that ladders should always be securely locked away, and not left outside your house to help burglars break in.
The other important thing that the prudent householder should do is check the insurance. Your home and contents policy should cover the garden as well as the house. Call 50plus on 0800 195 8002 if you would like to talk about insuring your home and garden with us.
