Gardeners urged to review home insurance

Consumers should carefully examine their insurance policies to ensure they meet their gardening needs, according to an insurance expert.

Jonathan Wadd, from Lloyds TSB, claimed that gardeners should only select high-quality services to avoid disappointment when forced to claim.

He said: "Theres a quality kite-mark out there for financial series products, which is the Defaqto five-star rating, so if you look out for a product with that kind of rating its more likely to meet your needs."

Mr Wadd added that he had previously encountered claims for a wide range of incidents – including theft of clothes from washing lines and sheds damaged by overheated barbeques.

Recent research by Lloyds TSB Insurance found that five per cent of people own garden items with a value between £3,000 and £5,000. A further 18 per cent of gardens contain products worth between £1,000 and £3,000.

Despite this over half of respondents declared that they have never reviewed whether their home insurance policy covers such objects.