Research from Go.compare home insurance, published in June 2024, has found that 65% of the population currently has a shed or outbuilding at home – and despite the fact that the survey revealed the average UK shed is used to store around £455 worth of valuables, 55% of shed owners questioned didn’t have insurance to cover their sheds or outbuildings, hadn’t thought about it, or didn’t know if they had the right cover.
With evidence to suggest that Britons are investing an increasing amount of time and money in their gardens, it’s perhaps understandable that thieves are responding to this trend, by targeting our outside spaces. Fortunately, there are various things that can be done to make gardens more secure and protect the much-loved outdoor possessions we store in them. Many of the products and solutions offered by My Secure Garden are relatively inexpensive, quick and simple to install, and provide reassuring protection as well as helping deter intruders and thieves. Before we highlight some of the security products and solutions available, My Secure Garden takes a look at how the function of the garden has changed over the years and how the value of items we are adding to our outside spaces has grown.
The changing function and value of outdoor spaces…
In post-war Britain, gardens were practical spaces, often used for growing food. The appearance of the first garden centre in the mid-1950s coincided with the end of rationing, and gardeners could finally source a variety of decorative plants and transform their outdoor spaces into something more attractive and ornamental.
In the latter half of the 20th century, gardens were used more recreationally. Conservatories grew in popularity and barbecues became a regular feature. In many instances, spaces that had previously been occupied by manicured lawns and decorative borders have gradually been replaced by lower maintenance spaces, including patios, gravelled areas and decking.
The 21st century brought further garden design changes, a greater awareness of the environmental benefits of green space, and a desire to support local wildlife. The pandemic also helped to boost Britons’ appreciation of their outside spaces as areas for exercise, relaxation and recreation. Since the pandemic, many of us have been given the opportunity to spend more time at home and investments like home offices, garden buildings, outdoor kitchens and entertainment areas have grown in popularity as people look to extend their living spaces into the garden.
Research by the Horticultural Trades Association – which represents garden retailers, growers, manufacturers and landscapers – tells us what Britons use their gardens for:
- As a place to relax 72%
- Grow plants, trees or flowers 62%
- Feed/watch or encourage the presence of wildlife 51%
- Grow own food (e.g. fruits, herbs, vegetables etc.) 34%
- To get exercise 8%
The Horticultural Trades Association is also able to tell us that UK households collectively spent around £8 billion on retail garden products in 2023. Research undertaken by MoneySuperMarket during the pandemic suggested that we spent even more money on our gardens during lockdown, increasing the average value of garden possessions to £1,262 per household – that’s equivalent to £28.5 billion nationally. Most popular garden items bought during lockdown included plants, furniture, outdoor lighting, ornaments, barbecues and garden toys. The gardening equipment market in the UK is also growing in value, as an increasing number of us choose to add more specialist equipment such as pressure washers, chainsaws, leaf blowers and hedge trimmers to our impressive collection of DIY tools.
Bicycles are a popular target
Although bicycles might not immediately spring to mind when we’re thinking about garden theft, they are one of the most popular items on the thieves’ “hit list” and we often choose to store them in our garden sheds or other outbuildings. The leading statistics database Statista tells us that the number of bicycle thefts in England and Wales during a 12-month time period in 2023/24 was 66,960. The average value of our bikes is also climbing – reaching £590 in 2023. Needless to say, e-cycles are even more valuable.
Which garden items are most frequently stolen?
The most common garden items stolen from UK households are:
- Bicycles
- Children’s toys
- Delivery packages
- Garden tools
- Garden ornaments
- Hanging baskets
- Outdoor furniture
- Plant pots
- Plants/shrubs
- Solar lights
What can we do to protect our garden items?
There are lots of things you can do and measures you can take to help improve your garden security, including:
- Secure the items that thieves are most likely to target by locking them inside a secure shed, garage or outbuilding. My Secure Garden offers a wide selection of purpose-designed secure metal garden storage products that are perfect for storing garden tools, outdoor items and equipment.
- Make your garden and open spaces around your home more secure and less attractive to thieves (for example by installing security cameras, security lights, alarms, locking your garden gate(s) with a high-quality padlock and installing perimeter protection products such as ‘The Flex’ from DefendaStrip – a versatile anti-climb security product)
- You can also mark your high value items such as garden furniture, parasols, tools, equipment and bikes. This will make items a less likely target and increase the chances of them being returned if they are retrieved by the Police. My Secure Garden offers the Police-accredited SelectaDNA product for property marking.
Our privacy may be more difficult to maintain…
The thieves’ job is unfortunately made easier by the fact that it’s increasingly difficult for us to maintain our privacy. Before the turn of the 21st century, we had much more control over the seclusion of our garden, but the advent of satellite imagery and increasing availability of drones means that almost anyone can take a sneaky peek into our outside space to see what we choose to keep in our gardens and outbuildings.
Whilst the Drone and Model Aircraft Code tells us we shouldn’t be flying drones over or near people, there are no rules to prevent drones from being flown over private property. A quick review of local news websites and social media platforms tells us that drones are often used in residential areas – sometimes late at night, or in the early hours of the morning – and such drone activity understandably arouses suspicion.
Local media reports and social media posts tell us how easy it can be for thieves to identify the location of expensive items and simply lift out a fence panel or two, in order to remove them.
But security monitoring and lighting is also becoming easier and more affordable…
Fortunately, smart security devices such as security cameras and floodlight cameras have become more affordable and suitable for DIY installation. My Secure Garden offers a wide range of smart security devices including cameras, floodlight cameras and video doorbells, to help you monitor your property and outdoor spaces. Our collection includes mains and battery/solar powered WiFi cameras as well as wire-free 4G cameras enabling you to enjoy security when you have no WiFi. Our Reolink and Amalock cameras are attractively designed, easy to install and can be fitted to any domestic property.
General crime prevention advice for your garden
My Secure Garden has already offered some advice about protecting your treasures outdoor items and we thought it would be helpful to share some more general garden protection advice from Police.uk.
- Keep your front boundary low. Hedges, walls and fences at the front of your house should ideally be low (under one metre tall) so that thieves have nowhere to hide.
- Keep any side gates locked at all times. It might be convenient to leave them open, particularly if you use them for parcel deliveries, but this means thieves can easily access your property without being seen by passers-by or neighbours.
- Create high side and rear boundaries. Hedges, walls and fences around your back garden should ideally be high (ideally over 1.8 metres). You can add lightweight trellis to gates and fences and plant some prickly plants to make it harder for thieves to climb over.
- Use gravel on your driveway and garden paths. Crunchy gravel makes it harder for thieves to go undetected.
- Install security lighting so that intruders can’t approach your property without being seen (or recorded). View Here
- Install an intruder alarm system. View Here
- Always keep your shed or garden building locked and secured. You should also make sure it is anchored down to prevent it from being lifted in order to access valuable contents. View Here
- Never leave tools lying around as they can be used as a way of breaking into your home. Store them away in a secure location. View Here
*Crime in England and Wales for the year ending March 2024, using data from police recorded crime and the Crime Survey for England and Wales (CSEW).