23 July 2012
One in five green-fingered thieves pilfered pot plants, flowers, hanging baskets and trees from one in five gardens over the last year, research suggested today.
Burglars are uprooting horticultural hoards worth £72.21 on average, showing that money does grow on trees after all, insurer More Than said.
Some 20% of those surveyed said their gardens have been subject to theft in the last 12 months alone, with researchers suggesting that thieves have been casting their nets wider for items of value in tough economic times.
Rare lilies, olive trees, hanging baskets, bay trees and roses were among the plants most frequently swiped.
Thieves are often brazenly stealing from people's doorsteps, as seven out of 10 people said the outside space at the front of their home had been targeted at some point.
Nearly a third (29%) of the plant theft victims surveyed live in the North East, which was followed closely by the North West, where a quarter of people affected are based. The East Midlands was found to have the lowest levels of this crime, with 13% of people who said they had been victims living in this area.
Janet Connor, managing director of More Than, said: "As we've seen from recent incidents of lead being stolen from roofs, thieves are casting their nets ever wider in the search for objects to steal.
"And as this research unfortunately shows, garden plants and trees are now firmly on the list.
"Cultivating a beautiful garden is by no means a cheap endeavour, with many items, such as bay trees, commanding price tags of £60 or more."
Gardening expert and broadcaster Bob Flowerdew said people could take photographs of their gardens to help with identification and making a claim.
He said using a marker pen to write your postcode over plant labels would also deter thieves, as well as using large, heavy containers, layers of plastic netting, prickly plants and using a weatherproof bicycle lock to chain hanging baskets up.
More than 1,000 homeowners with a garden or outside space took part in the UK-wide study.
Top 10 most stolen plants and trees, according to the study:
1. Hanging baskets
2. Bay trees
3. Rose standards
4. Olive trees
5. Rare lilies
6. Bonsais
7. Miniature palm trees
8. Magnolia trees
9. Daphne shrubs
10. Conifers
(Reproduced from London Evening Standard, 23rd July
Gardien Comment: All garden crime is on the increase according to the latest British Crime Survey, and unfortunately therefore consideration has to be given to security measures for the various aspects of your garden. General advice and security solutions can be found at www.garden-security.co.uk
Some 20% of those surveyed said their gardens have been subject to theft in the last 12 months alone, with researchers suggesting that thieves have been casting their nets wider for items of value in tough economic times.
Rare lilies, olive trees, hanging baskets, bay trees and roses were among the plants most frequently swiped.
Thieves are often brazenly stealing from people's doorsteps, as seven out of 10 people said the outside space at the front of their home had been targeted at some point.
Nearly a third (29%) of the plant theft victims surveyed live in the North East, which was followed closely by the North West, where a quarter of people affected are based. The East Midlands was found to have the lowest levels of this crime, with 13% of people who said they had been victims living in this area.
Janet Connor, managing director of More Than, said: "As we've seen from recent incidents of lead being stolen from roofs, thieves are casting their nets ever wider in the search for objects to steal.
"And as this research unfortunately shows, garden plants and trees are now firmly on the list.
"Cultivating a beautiful garden is by no means a cheap endeavour, with many items, such as bay trees, commanding price tags of £60 or more."
Gardening expert and broadcaster Bob Flowerdew said people could take photographs of their gardens to help with identification and making a claim.
He said using a marker pen to write your postcode over plant labels would also deter thieves, as well as using large, heavy containers, layers of plastic netting, prickly plants and using a weatherproof bicycle lock to chain hanging baskets up.
More than 1,000 homeowners with a garden or outside space took part in the UK-wide study.
Top 10 most stolen plants and trees, according to the study:
1. Hanging baskets
2. Bay trees
3. Rose standards
4. Olive trees
5. Rare lilies
6. Bonsais
7. Miniature palm trees
8. Magnolia trees
9. Daphne shrubs
10. Conifers
(Reproduced from London Evening Standard, 23rd July
Gardien Comment: All garden crime is on the increase according to the latest British Crime Survey, and unfortunately therefore consideration has to be given to security measures for the various aspects of your garden. General advice and security solutions can be found at www.garden-security.co.uk
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