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Britain's gardeners are facing an increasingly common garden pest - the garden thief. Each year, it's estimated that one in every seven gardens will fall victim to garden thieves.

The Association of British Insurers (ABI) is urging all gardeners to fight back against thieves, by making their gardens more secure. The ABI also recommend checking the extent of cover under their household insurance.

Insurance

From hanging baskets to lawnmowers, garden furniture to plants, and even whole hedges and lawns, nothing is safe. Garden sheds are particularly vulnerable, as many have inadequate security and often contain valuable items such as lawnmowers, tools and cycles. One police force estimates that the cost of garden crime, in its area alone, is £4m a year.

Garden thefts have included:

A whole hedge - stolen from a West London - home while the house owner was on holiday

In Kent, a spate of lawnmower thefts led to a man being attacked by a gang using a Land Rover, to ram-raid his garage to steal a £1,000 lawnmower

Garden building materials, worth nearly £10,000, were stolen from a front garden in Essex

Fourteen ornamental statues, worth £10,000, and a sundial costing £1,400 disappeared from a garden overnight

Household Contents

Most household contents policies provide limited cover for items in the garden, typically between £250 and £1,000. Different limits may apply to items left in the open or in outbuildings.

"Gardening is a growth industry and so is garden theft." says Tony Baker, ABI's deputy director general. "Most gardeners seriously under-estimate the value of items in their gardens and just how attractive these are to thieves. This explains why gardens inevitably provide easy pickings for thieves, especially during the summer months. Yet many losses can easily be prevented by simple security precautions to safeguard what, in many cases, are items worth thousands of pounds."

Tips

The ABI's top tips to help beat garden thieves are:

Lock away expensive items (such as lawnmowers) when not in use

Make sure that sheds and garages have adequate security, and that door and window frames cannot be forced

Prune trees and shrubs near sheds, greenhouses and garages to prevent thieves working undetected

Consider planting thief deterrent shrubs, such as those with prickly leafs and thorns, close to vulnerable entry points

Postcode valuable items, such as cycles and lawnmowers

Keep the garden well lit. Consider installing security lighting

More information available in Your Home, Outside Living, Home Security, Garden, Incentives & Rewards