It is a well-known fact that during winter, incidents of burglary are more common throughout the country. As the nights draw in, burglars and thieves are able to use the cover of darkness to extend the hours of their ‘work’. Thankfully however, there are steps that we can take to help secure our gardens from light fingers.
Secure your barriers
Restricting access is the first defence of your garden and it can come in a variety of shapes and forms. Although razor wire and guard towers aren’t that practical, you can ensure your garden’s safety through naturally thorny hedges and bushes, such as Holly and Firethorn.
On the other hand, you can also invest in large fences to border your garden, though you may need planning permission for anything over two metres. Once up, you can then grow thorny climbers like roses to deter would-be trespassers.
As many vehicle thefts occur on driveways leading to the home, it is also important to secure this area of your garden. A great way to deter vehicle theft is of course the installation of electric gates.
Light the night
One of the cheapest and happily, one of the most effective ways of deterring an intruder, is to install some form of security lighting in your garden.
Available on the internet for roughly £30-£40, you can enjoy the peace of mind that your garden will be protected by security lighting if anything or anyone was to be walking about in the dead of night.
Also, if you want to save a few pennies in the long run, you can buy LED security lights that use far less energy.
Know your insurance
If for any reason you do fear that your garden will be broken into, and you fear losing a few valuables, it is always important to know beforehand just what is covered in your garden.
Items stolen from a building are more likely to be covered than those stolen from a garden, so make sure that you know just what areas of your property you are covered for.
Though building policies often cover damage to garages, ponds and even swimming pools, decking, pergolas and raised flower beds are not likely to be covered. The same goes for plants, containers, statues and garden features.
If you have anything that is particularly expensive or rare in your garden, it is worth taking out ‘high net worth’ policies to cover artwork or antiques.