Nationwide Building Society has urged homeowners to remember their garden when it comes to contents insurance.

In a survey by the society, 35% of those who took part valued their garden contents at between £250 and £1,000. Claims for furniture and ornaments are among those most commonly received by Nationwide, so it has warned homeowners to insure the contents of their garden, especially as summer approaches.

It has also advised those with gardens to guard against theft by, for example, investing in ground anchors to secure garden furniture and refraining from leaving tools lying around the garden.

In addition, homeowners were warned to lock shed doors and cover windows with curtains or blinds. Nationwide also reminded homeowners to photograph expensive items, such as ornaments and potted plants for ease of identification in case of theft.

Robin Bailey, insurance director at Nationwide, said: “Spring is in the air and, if the rain holds off, some of us may be planning to spend time in the garden this Bank Holiday weekend. Items such as lawnmowers and garden furniture will be dusted off and may be left out in the open for long periods of time, resulting in easy pickings for opportunistic thieves and vandals. It is really important that these items are adequately insured against acts of theft or vandalism.”