On the rare occasion that the sun comes out, Brits like to sit in their gardens, but Defaqto has warned homeowners to ensure their garden contents are covered by their home insurance to avoid costly repercussions from green-fingered thieves.

Many homeowners do not consider the potential cost of replacing the contents of their gardens, Defaqto says, highlighting the importance of calculating how much they could lose without having sufficient home insurance.

An array of garden items could add up to a considerable amount, including water features, garden furniture, decking, lights, heaters, barbeques and expensive plant pots. These things are commonly found in the average garden but could be unprotected.

“Consumers should consider the amount of cover provided by their insurer for contents kept in the garden” said Mike Powell, insurance consultant at Defaqto.

Defaqto’s research has found that 38 per cent of home contents insurance policies provide just £500 cover or less, 47 per cent offer £750 to £1,000 of cover, and 15 per cent of policies provide cover for gardens worth more than £1,000.

Mr Powell added that people do not always consider the cost of replacing plants, trees and shrubs in the garden. The research found that some companies do not cover these things, so he urges homeowners to check their policies.

“Consumers do not always consider the true value of their garden and should take care to understand the extent of the cover on offer.” he said.

Meanwhile, Churchill is urging the 27million owners of BBQs in the UK not to let their al fresco feast turn into a trip to the accident and emergency ward or result in a home insurance claim.

“People also need to be wary of the potential damage to the garden if a barbeque fire should get out of control,” said Claire Foster, spokesperson for Churchill Home Insurance, “especially as the average Brit spends over £200 on equipment for their garden every year.”

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