This month we are bringing you our top tips on how to protect your garden goodies from thieves and vandals because recent news has been full of stories about the increase in summer thefts from UK gardens.

Several publications have reported that Halifax Home Insurance found that garden theft goes up by 52% in the summer months, compared with the winter months.

Plus, recent research by NFU Mutual, the rural insurer, found that 33% of the people it surveyed had been victims of garden theft.

The thieves are set to come away with substantial hauls because, according to Lloyds TSB, the average garden contains goodies worth £1,237, with the typical cost of the most expensive garden item at £426.

Possibly more worrying is the fact that Lloyds TSB found that 55% of those surveyed have never even checked to see if their garden contents are covered by their home insurance policies.

Of course, the temptation is to avoid buying nice things for our gardens in case they get stolen. However, seeing as though summer sun in Britain is a rarity these days, we should be making the most of our gardens when we can and not let the thieves ruin it for us. So, how can we fight back against the garden criminals?

How to make a garden thief’s job difficult

1. Lock expensive items up
   
   If you have a shed, lock bicycles, children’s toys and moveable items of garden equipment in it. Make sure the shed is sturdy and the door is lockable.
    
2. Maintain your fencing
   
   

   If there are any obvious gaps in your fence which could make it easy for would-be thieves/vandals to enter your garden, get them fixed as soon as possible.

   Adding trellis to the top of your fencing can be another good deterrent because it won’t hold the weight of anyone trying to climb over and the thought of falling and getting caught may put someone off climbing over.
    

3. Chain things down
   
   Secure valuable items to large, heavy objects with chains and locks. If possible, an even better way would be to concrete them into the ground.
    
4. Make things heavier
   
   Putting bricks in the bottom of large plant pots, or weighing down garden furniture, could be enough of a deterrent for a number of would-be thieves, especially those who are intoxicated on the way home from a night out.
    
5. Mark your property
   
   Use a UV pen or data-tag to mark your garden goods with your postcode. This will aid the police in getting the item back to you if it is recovered. You can also get window sticker which say your property is marked in such a way and this too could put off any would-be thieves.
    
6. Check your locks
   
   Make sure your garden gate is tall enough and has a heavy duty lock on it to further restrict access to would-be criminals.
    
7. Protect with prickly plants
   
   

   Consider placing pretty defensive plants around statues and ornaments. The extra obstacle could really prove effective in deterring would-be criminals.

   You could also put them next to vulnerable areas of your fencing and around your shed too for further defence.
    

8. Install lights
   
   

   Fitting motion sensitive security lights around your more valuable items is an effective way of scaring off criminals. It will also alert your neighbours to possible trespassers and so potentially give you another line of defence.

   If you have the spare cash, you could even go one step further and install CCTV to watch over your garden and its contents.
    

9. Lay gravel paths
   
   It’s near impossible to walk quietly on gravel and criminals will be aware of this fact. If you lay gravel in and round your garden, criminals will likely avoid it because they know they need to rely on stealthy tactics to rob you of your goods.
    
10. Join a Neighbourhood Watch scheme
    
    

    Joining a neighbourhood watch scheme can help reduce crime because it dramatically increases the number of people watching over your garden. Some insurers even offer slightly lower premiums to those enlisted in a neighbourhood watch scheme.

    If there isn’t one already set up in your area, speak to your neighbours and find out if they would be interested in joining up.
     

11. Keep an inventory
    
    

    Take photographs of particularly expensive items and keep an inventory of the contents in your garden, then put them in a safe place. This will come in handy in aiding the recovery of your goods if they are stolen and should help with any insurance claims too.
     

12. Don’t give the criminals cover
    
    Try not to make your garden too secluded because this will give would-be criminals the cover the need to enter your garden and go about their business unnoticed.
     
13. Ask for an extra watchful eye while on holiday
    
    Before you go on holiday ask a neighbour or friend you trust to come and check on your house from time to time. Get them to remove mail from the doormat because this will be an indicator to criminals that no one is in and cancel the milk if you have that delivered on a regular basis.
    
    Get them to check on your garden once in a while too.
    
    You could even use a plug timer to schedule your living room lamp to come on for a few hours in the evening which may help to further deter would-be thieves.
     
14. Use your common sense
    
    Probably your strongest defence will be using your common sense to decide how to treat your garden goods. If they are really expensive, lock them away when not in use. If you think things are worth a lot of money and easy to steal, then so will the thief.
     
15. Check your home insurance
    
    Unfortunately, although these tips will help in ensuring the safety of your garden contents, they may not be 100% effective.
    
    Some home insurance policies come with cover for your garden furniture and some even provide cover for your plants too.
    
    When you make your inventory of garden contents (see tip 11 above), write down how much it would cost to replace the item if stolen or damaged and add up the total cost. Some insurance websites come with special calculators you can use to add this up for you.
    
    Once you have this figure, check your home insurance policy to see if you have adequate cover. If you don’t have enough cover, you can probably arrange extra cover with your home insurer.
    
    If you do, check which items are covered and which aren’t (in the exclusions section) and note this down.
    
    If you want these excluded items covered you will need to speak to your insurer to see if this can be arranged.
    
    Don't forget to compare home insurance to get yourself the best policy for your needs and circumstances.