Households are being warned this week that now the sun has come out, we are all at risk from theft in the garden. According to a UK based insurer, summer 2008 saw a sixty three percent rise in the number of claims that were made for items stolen from the garden. People tend to flock to the big garden stores as soon as the year sees its first sun, to buy hoses, lawnmowers and pretty flower pots, ready to make their garden presentable for the onslaught of barbeques and summer visitors that the warm weather brings. But furniture, tools and barbeques are among the most stolen items in the garden in the summer months, and opportunist thieves have a much easier time of stealing from a badly secured garden than from a house.
London saw the greatest increase in thefts, but burglars also got busy stealing in Ipswich, Grimsby and Twickenham. The average claim rose to over four hundred and thirty three pounds for garden equipment, quite a hike in comparison to the winter months where there was far less activity.
Insurers recommend locking your garden valuables in a shed or garage, to deter thieves from attempting to pinch your things. Home insurance customers should also check the fine print of their policies to see if their garden possessions are insured under their policy. Make sure that you have accurately accounted for the cost of your garden valuables in your quote too.
Home Insurance is readily available online, and gives you more time to get out in the sun and enjoy yourself!
