THE majority of homeowners who have gardens (92 per cent) will be spending a staggering £56 million on their gardens over the coming months, with one in 10 homeowners spending in excess of £500, according to a survey by esure home insurance.

It is a peak time for opportunistic thieves, yet worryingly, more than half (52 per cent) have never thought about improving the security of their garden to prevent thieves from taking costly items often left out overnight, such as lawnmowers and bikes.

One in 20 have thought about improving their garden security but done nothing.

Two-thirds own a garden shed with contents worth an average of £550 but nearly one in 10 do not securely lock their shed when not in use.

The survey reveals that more than 1.4 million homeowners have had something stolen from their shed in the last year.

esure’s Garden Gear survey discloses the top five items homeowners plan to buy for their garden this summer are: plants/shrubs (64 per cent), garden furniture (26 per cent), garden tools (23 per cent), patio/decking (15 per cent), and pond/water feature (10 per cent).

Nikki Sellers, head of Home Insurance for esure, said: "It is all too easy to retire inside as it gets darker, leaving items unsecured in our gardens or sheds unlocked as easy targets for opportunistic thieves.

"But these investments need protecting. It is imperative that everyone should get into the habit of safely tidying away and locking up their garden gear while taking reasonable care of securing their household perimeters".

esure suggests keeping an inventory of items in garden and outbuildings, with photographs if possible, to help in the event of any claim.