Gardens, often seen as ‘extra rooms’ to our properties can dramatically increase the value of a home. And although not always a ‘returnable’ investment people enjoy them and are planning to spend over £5 billion on their gardens this year, according to Sainsbury’s Bank.

However, spending more on your garden can attract thieves and the bank estimates that up to 800,000 people will fall victim to garden crime this year, each losing on average just over £500.

It is urging people to increase security around their gardens and ensure they have adequate home insurance cover.

The bank says its rated home insurance is one of only a few policies to provide cover for garden plants.

Robert O’May, home insurance manager, Sainsbury’s Bank said: “The popularity of gardens has been increased by television programmes such as Ground Force. However, it is important that people protect their gardens and ensure they have adequate insurance.”

The bank’s research shows that bicycles are the most common items stolen from gardens followed by pots and containers and then power tools. Some strange thefts have included an entire lawn that was later discovered being sold at a car boot sale and a 6ft x 4ft pond with the 17 fish it contained.

Sainsbury’s Bank offers the following tips to help people protect themselves from garden thieves:

• Photograph valuable garden ornaments and where possible mark property with your postcode.
• Start up or join a local Neighbourhood Watch Scheme (Sainsbury’s Bank offers a discount on premiums to members)
• Put a brick or two into the bottom of large pots to weigh them down.
• Keep garden statutes near the house and if possible bolt them to the ground. If this is not possible, weigh them down with heavy objects.
• Spread gravel on driveways. This will help alert you to anyone approaching the house/garden.
• If you have expensive items in your garden, consult with your home insurance provider to see whether you need a specialist policy to cover them.
• Install outside security lighting that turns on automatically but consider using a non-light polluting type now becoming available.
• If you have a burglar alarm, consider extending it to cover your shed and other outbuildings.
• Make sure the shed is securely locked. Remember that tools could be used to break into your home, so don’t leave them lying around the garden or in an unlocked shed.
• Consider planting prickly plants around the edge of the garden to deter any burglars.