Ensure your garden equipment is safe and secure

Gardeners have a tendency to be a little green when it comes to protecting their tools and leisure items,and quite often fall victim to garden theft.

Garden tools and equipment such as lawnmowers, hedge trimmers, power washers, strimmers and watering devices are all relatively high value items that can easily be stolen from garden sheds, greenhouses or the home itself.

Garden furniture can also be expensive and desirable, as can patio accessories and the growing number of adornments that can now be purchased since the gardening revolution hit Britain.

The majority of garden theft is opportunistic and urges gardeners to take the same precautions with their garden possessions as they would with their indoor electrical and personal items.

Gardeners should make sure their garden equipment is covered by a home insurance policy protecting the possessions and contents of both house and garden.

Gardeners should also;

• Lock gardening equipment away, inside a shed, using very strong locks and padlocks.
  
• Screen any windows in the shed, so equipment is not visible.
  
• Mark valuable equipment with ultraviolet markings.
  
• Install security lights and alarms, where needed, as a deterrent.
  
• Photograph any very valuable gardening items, so that, if stolen, the Police can identify them.
  
• Place heavy weights under the soil in garden pots. This makes them difficult to move.
  
• Use gravel on paths. This allows you to hear intruders’ footsteps and slows down wheelbarrows used to wheel items away.
  
• Use thorny plants, such berberis, holly and blackthorn, to protect any entry areas into your garden. Roses placed under windows are also a deterrent.

Above all, do not leave house windows and doors open whilst they are about their garden chores, and not to leave keys under obvious hiding places such as pots and stones.

Gardeners should also take care not to leave tools lying around outside the home, as these can be used to force entry into the house itself.