A leading home insurance provider has warned homeowners to take care of their sheds and garden equipment from the risk of burglary.

Halifax Home Insurance urged gardening enthusiasts to make sure that their policies will protect them from theft or damage to their garden. With spring on the way many people will be investing large sums of money on garden equipment and a theft could well set you back a considerable sum of money.

Saga Home insurance noted that the average cost of claims related to gardening equipment was nearly £400.

"The collective cost of patio furniture, barbecues and children's play equipment can soon add up. We'd advise people to check that their home insurance policy protects against theft from the garden and we'd also recommend making life as difficult as possible for the opportunist garden thief," said Marytn Foulds from the Halifax.