Garden crime hits Brits

With more people enjoying the outside in the recent warm weather, new research by home insurance comparison site Gocompare.com has warned that one in four British people have suffered property theft or damage in their gardens .

According to the survey, 24.2 per cent of respondents had been the victim of a garden crime, while a similar number admitted they do not think the grounds of their home are secure enough.

The average garden contains £1,040-worth of valuable equipment, such as furniture, barbecues, tools and children's play items, and over half of people have seen their bicycle stolen from outside their home.

Hayley Parsons, chief executive of Gocompare.com, said, Most home insurance policies provide cover for gardens and their contents, but this can be limited, so it is best to check what cover you have and whether you need to extend it.

A recent report by Marks and Spencer Money revealed that two-thirds of households have not checked if their garden items are covered under their home insurance .