AS SPRING has sprung across Redditch it’s time to get those gardens looking blooming beautiful.
But as residents are tending to their lawns and flower beds, police are warning it is always worth thinking carefully about security and the layout of your garden as it can help protect it and your home from crime.
Sheds typically contain tools, bikes and gardening equipment which are not just valuable but which could prove useful to a burglar. Police advise homeowners to secure the door with bolts and close-shackle padlocks or a padlock alarm while hinges should be fitted using coach bolts and large backing washers.
Another idea is to consider installing a shed alarm and a lockable chest for chemicals and valuable equipment.
Rear fences should be two metres high including a trellis to support plants but not to support the weight of a possible intruder.
Keep fences and plants in the front garden below one metre in height so you don’t give potential burglars somewhere to hide.
Other ideas include reinforcing the garden’s perimeter by planting prickly shrubs or a thorny hedge and training them to grow on a trellis to deter potential offenders.
Lighting is another useful trick which can deter or draw attention to thieves. Residents can use energy saving bulbs activated by a dawn to dusk sensor along with laying gravel on paths and beneath doors and ground-floor windows – burglars don’t like it because it’s noisy to walk on.
Side gates should be solid, flat faced and the same height as the fence. They should be secured with bolts top and bottom, padlocks and a spring return.
Plant pots should also be secured to the ground using a bolt and retaining anchor plate and any tools or garden furniture should be marked with your postcode followed by your house number.
