Gardens need insurance too

It is not only gardeners who value what is round the back of their houses. A new survey shows that a substantial minority of people value the contents of their gardens as worth up to £1,000.

The study by Nationwide found that 35 per cent of those polled put the value of garden furniture, lawnmowers, sprinklers, gnomes and other equipment in their gardens as between £200 and £1,000.

Thefts from gardens have been increasing in recent years, and garden tools left lying around can be used by burglars to gain entry to homes.

Nationwide’s insurance director, Robin Bailey, said: “Spring is in the air and, if the rain holds off, some of us may be planning to spend time in the garden this Bank Holiday weekend. Items such as lawnmowers and garden furniture will be dusted off and may be left out in the open for long periods of time, resulting in easy pickings for opportunistic thieves and vandals.

“It is really important that these items are adequately insured against acts of theft or vandalism.”

Tags: thieves, new survey, vandals, rain, survey, furniture, Lawn mower