Garden crime on the rise

The British spend £3.6bn a year on their gardens

The increasing popularity of gardening is mirrored by a rise in the number of thefts from gardens, crime figures show.

Recent figures showed £71m of garden items were stolen over the past two years.

Insurers said most people paid little regard to the security of the area surrounding their house, even if they were careful about the building itself.

Many people buy expensive garden "extras"

The rise in garden crime is a reflection of what has become a booming hobby and business - the British spend £3.6bn a year on their gardens.

Graeme McCarte from Sainsbury's Bank said homeowners must reassess their assets.

"Most contents cover does provide a degree of security into replacing items, but that cover is usually capped to quite a small level.

"When you think how much people spend on their gardens, we ask them to think again quite hard," he said.

Uninsured victim

Garden theft victim Constance Jeffrey from Huntingdon, Cambridgeshire, had plants and ornaments worth £1,500 taken from her garden.

The stolen items were not insured.

"It was unbelievable. I was very devastated," she told the BBC.

Constance Jeffrey: 'devastated' by theft

"I had been quite recently widowed and they were my husband's and he loved them dearly."

Besides taking out extra insurance, there were some simple measures garden lovers like Mrs Jeffrey could take to reduce the risk of theft, police said.

"If you spend a lot of money on a feature, it's an idea to make sure it's well fixed to the ground," advised PC Richard Carter from the Cambridgeshire Constabulary.

"If you can, inscribe your name and address on it, so if it does get stolen the police can get it back to you.

"If you buy expensive plants make sure they're planted close to the house - that way you can keep a close eye on them."

It was also advisable to join Countryside Watch or Neighbourhood Watch, he added.