Garden accessories need protecting

Britons' current obsession with garden accessories has highlighted the need to take out suitable insurance cover, according to esure.com.

A new survey reveals that one in ten Brits has spent over £600 on garden accessories, flowers and shrubs in the past year alone.

And with 80 per cent of UK homeowners investing in their gardens over the last 12 months, esure.com is advising them to increase their garden security and ensure they have appropriate insurance cover.

Nikki Sellers, head of home insurance at esure.com, said: "With light evenings and pleasant summertime temperatures, many of us will be spending more time in the garden than inside our homes.

"So it's not surprising that as a nation we spent over £3.7 billion this year on our backyards. But this investment needs protecting. Garden equipment, toys and bikes left out overnight are easy targets for opportunistic thieves."

The esure.com survey found that a third of those who bought garden accessories over the 12-month period opted for garden furniture, while a similar amount purchased ornamental pots.

Eighteen per cent invested in new lighting and eight per cent added a water feature. A fifth of those polled said they had upped their spending on the previous year.