Half of Britons have failed to lock their summer house

Half of Britons have failed to lock their summer house

» 20th July 2010 «

One in five Britons are risking having their summer houses burgled by leaving them unlocked, according to new research.

M&S Money conducted a survey which found that 18 per cent of homeowners regularly fail to lock their sheds, with only 12 per cent claiming to have the necessary security in place.

Furthermore, almost half (49 per cent) of the people questioned by the firm admitted that they do not lock their sheds at times, up from a figure of 24 per cent 12 months earlier.

"We would urge householders to check whether their home insurance policy provides adequate cover for theft from a shed, and what security measures they may need to demonstrate to ensure any claims made are valid," said Andrew Ferguson, head of general insurance at M&S Money.

The survey also revealed that the most expensive items people keep in their sheds are lawnmowers (38 per cent), bikes (28 per cent) and DIY equipment and tools (22 per cent).

A recent poll by PC Advisor revealed that 24.1 per cent of Britons plan to use their laptop computers in their garden offices this summer.