Garden crime on the increase
August 24, 2009
The growing popularity in the U.K. of garden makeovers is unfortunately bringing with it an increase in garden crime with vandalism and theft on the rise.
U.K. gardeners are spending £4 billion per year on garden equipment from tools to furniture, but very little is being done to protect this investment.
Police reports and estimates by organizations such as the Horticultural Trades Association suggest that there may be over 1 million thefts from gardens every year. This in turn could be costing gardeners in the region of £400 million every year.
Janet Connor, managing director at RIAS said: “Sadly we are all now sitting targets for garden theft, yet people are not taking anywhere near enough precautions.” She also pointed out that many victims are not adequately insured and that people do more to make sure that their home insurance allows for the value of their gardens.
The rise in ‘garden stripping’ is particularly disturbing. This is when thieves target a home whilst the owners are away and literally lift everything from the garden down to the lawn itself to sell on to unsuspecting customers.
A few simple precautions like installing lights with movement detectors, making sure gates have locks on them, putting away tools and surrounding the garden with natural deterrents like thorny shrubs will go some way to protecting an increasingly valuable part of the home.
Thanks to www.pitchengine.com for the above quotes, for more information on this article please visit their website.
Related Posts
Comments
Advertisement
