People are beginning to store more and more personal posessions in their garden sheds and are not insuring them.

Mike Pickard, Head of risk and underwriting for a leading insurance company, said: ‘Even household items are now being stored outdoors, blurring the distinction between home contents and outbuilding and garden contents.’

One report has found that close to 650,000 UK homeowners have had items stolen from garden sheds or garden storage areas in the last year.

This research indicates that 11% of homeowners will spend more than £500 on their gardens and garden accessories in 2008, but these same people won’t take time to ensure the safety of these possessions.

Other research has shown that 93% of households regularly leave items outside overnight, and that even though 14% of homeowners have posssesions in their sheds valued up to £1,500, of the 69% of households with a shed, 9% never lock it.

This could render home insurance invalid, the moral of the story, keep your valuables locked away in a safe insured place.