Scots love their gardens. We spend many millions as a country on plants, pots, furniture, equipment, and other products last year is therefore not shocking. Nothing is more pleasant than spending some time in your outdoor settings, regardless of whether you’re an experienced gardener, a sun addict, a garden office worker or just a nature lover.
However, crime research suggests that burglars also know this and see gardens and outbuildings as a lucrative and easy target with theft from them on the rise.
The growth in popularity of garden rooms and pods used as home offices means that we are keeping ever more valuable items in our outbuildings after the COVID pandemic and its lockdowns.
The good news is that there are several easy things you can do to ensure the safety of your belongings and landscape. Here are our top recommendations for protecting your garden this summer:
Basic security measures
The security of your garden can be greatly affected by how you design it. Even in the hot summer months, fences and dense plants provide cover for potential burglars.
For this reason, hedges shouldn’t be taller than one and a half metres to prevent hedges acting as camouflage for housebreakers.
Additionally, by picking brightly coloured flowers and bedding plants (think reds, yellows, and punchy purples), there won’t be any additional cover for opportunistic visitors wearing dark clothing.
Gates & fences
The ideal approach to securing your yard and the outside of your house may be with an automated gate, but if you have a wooden gate, cover the cross-member with a panel to prevent a footing. If you have a wrought-iron gate, adding decorative framing can make climbing challenging, even for the most nimble of burglars. Last but not least, loose gravel paths are a fantastic addition for any gardener who is concerned about security. After all, have you ever been able to walk on one without making a sound?
Maintain your shed
Sheds are usually made of wood and contain single-glazed windows that are nailed into place, making them among the least secure structures in existence. Nevertheless, maintaining a fresh coat of paint on your shed using a product that has protective features will help keep it free of rot or woodworm. Rotten panels make it simpler for burglars to break into your shed. Why not paint your shed or outbuildings in striking colours so that someone wearing dark attire will stand out from a distance as an added deterrent?
Don’t leave valuables in the garden
Many individuals mistakenly believe that it is safe to leave even expensive items, such as lawnmowers and bikes, outside and unattended overnight in their own gardens. Instead, make it a habit to tidy up your garden after using valuables like these and to store them away.
Buy high-quality locks
Cheap padlocks are a false economy because they can’t withstand a determined burglar or the rainy Scottish weather. Instead, get a tough, sturdy lock for the best level of security instead. Weatherproof padlocks are very long-lasting and have a laminated coating that keeps them from rusting (and seizing up).
Alarm your shed or garden room
Previously, installing an alarm in your shed or outbuilding required yards of wiring and large sensors. However, integrating your shed with a home security system has never been simpler because of the development of wireless technology and outdoor motion detection sensors with night vision capabilities.
Consider a monitored alarm
A monitored alarm delivers true peace of mind as it means that professional security operators are remotely overseeing and responding to your home’s security system, every day of the year 24/7. This means that, unlike unmonitored systems, your alarm is never just ignored when you are at work, away for the day or off on holiday. For full protection we at Ultimate Alarms recommend installing a monitored home security system. Call us for details.
