By Ben Wilkinson for the Daily Mail
Published: 23:44 BST, 28 June 2019 | Updated: 23:44 BST, 28 June 2019
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If you get your barbecue and patio furniture out in the scorching sunshine, you might want to keep an eye on them.
Crime figures show a stark rise in thefts from gardens in the past year - with posh barbecues and expensive outdoor gadgets worth thousands targeted.
The official statistics show garden thefts soared 23 per cent from 483,000 in 2017 to 595,000 last year.
Experts are now warning homeowners to check if their insurance will cover their garden gear if thieves should strike.
Crime figures show a stark rise in thefts from gardens in the past year - with posh barbecues and expensive outdoor gadgets worth thousands targeted
The crime figures, dug out by John Lewis Home Insurance, also found home burglaries fell by 2 per cent in the same period - from 685,000 to 669,000.
It is understood items stolen from gardens include everything from garden plants and gnomes to packages left by delivery drivers.
Analysis from comparison site MoneySuperMarket also shows that the average British garden contains £1,720 worth of valuables.
Yet two thirds of people surveyed by the site said they had never had outdoor items specifically insured - potentially leaving £24.4 billion worth of
