Your garden should be a safe sanctuary for you and your family to relax and enjoy all year round. However, there are many reasons to make sure it’s secure from intruders looking to take advantage of any opportunities they get.
There are a great number of ways you can protect your garden from intruders, from locking gates to installing lighting and CCTV cameras – these are the top 7 ways to protect your garden from intruders.
Lights and CCTV
To discourage thieves from entering your garden, it’s essential to install some outdoor security lighting. Shining a light onto a potential thief before they can get anywhere near your garden is a highly effective preventative measure. Always ensure to install sufficient lighting in walkways to eliminate dark corners that can provide cover, while a combination of CCTV cameras and motion-detecting lights not only alert you to when anyone has triggered the motion sensors but also advertises your home security systems.
Pave your drive and pathways
A great way to secure your garden is to pave driveways and pathways with gravel. This allows you to hear anyone that’s approaching, while making any attempts for a burglar to get away more difficult.
Secure your valuables
It’s important to ensure valuables stored in your garden are secure. Thieves can be highly tempted by bicycles, gnomes and barbecues. Be sure to find a durable security device to anchor your bike to an immovable object and though it may seem like a hassle to roll out the grill for every barbecue, leaving it out makes it an easy target for thieves. To ensure nothing of value is taken, it’s always a good precaution to stow away expensive items like grills, cars and bikes in the garage. The same rule is applicable to benches, hot tubs and garden machinery – remember to ensure these items are secure by cementing them tight and tagged with invisible ink.
Plant plants
A variety of plants can be used to protect your garden such as holly, blackthorn and berberis due to their thorns. Be sure to make it near enough impossible for thieves to climb walls and fences without getting hurt, while creating dense hedges with pampas, yucca and gooseberry bushes to help deter potential burglars. On the other hand, beware of making it easier for thieves to hide, by keeping shrubbery around your entrances and pathways short and trimmed.
Secure your shed and outbuildings
The absolute first thing to do to secure your garden shed is by ensuring that it is padlocked whenever you’re out. Burglars are unable to break into your shed without removing the padlock due to the use of clutch-head screws and an attached hasp and latch.
Furthermore, it’s also important to secure any garden shed windows by covering them with curtains, locking them if possible and using privacy film to black them out, as chances are these areas are not in need of sunlight.
Hide toys, tools and objects
Wheelie bins and ladders can be used by a burglar to break into your garden, so it’s essential that they’re stored away where they are not visible and can’t be reached. Alternatively, it’s a good idea to get them chained or locked in order to make sure they can’t be moved by any potential thieves. A garden littered with toys can advertise to potential burglars that your house could be filled with a whole host of interesting items. Laptops, tablets, phones and games consoles come to mind when considering easy pickings for a cunning thief.
Secure gates and fences
It’s a good idea to keep each and every one of your garden gates locked with something heavy-duty and to replace any screws or fastenings that have worn out and rusted. Be sure to repair any weather-damaged panels and gaps in your fences, while fixing a trellis to the top of your garden fence to disrupt anyone trying to climb it. While most friends and family aren’t going to mind calling ahead to visit, it’s always best to have each entry point locked and your garage door always closed so as not to advertise your belongings whether you’re at home or outside.
Your garden can often offer potential thieves a window into your home. It’s important to take these effective precautions to not only prevent intruders from accessing your garden but also to help secure the security and safety of your family and home.
