SHED ALERT Thieves break into over 60 a day
GARDEN sheds are proving easy pickings for criminals, with more than 60 break-ins a day.
Hundreds of thousands of sheds are not properly locked and thieves are having a field day. Bicycles are their top target followed by lawnmowers, hedge trimmers and drills.
But research showed the culprits are not fussy and will grab anything.
Hairdressing gear, oil paintings and pets have all been lifted too.
A survey of police forces in England and Wales from 2014 to 2018 found an average of 22,500 shed burglaries a year, which is just over 60 a day.
Worst hit was Lancashire with 12,592 shed thefts over the period, followed by Greater Manchester and Humberside with 11,946 and 10,733 raids respectively. One of the safest places to have a shed was Norfolk with just 259 thefts reported.
Manufacturer Tiger Sheds sent freedom of information requests to all police forces asking about the number of shed burglaries from 2014 to 2018.
Valuables
A Four-yearFour-year-old boy who lost his legs after being ph physically abused by his parents is to g get a law named after him.
Tony Hudge Hudgell was at the House of Commons wit with his adoptive parents Paula and Mark for the introducti introduction of Tony’s Law. Their MP, Tom Tugendhat, ha had tabled a Bill calling fo for child attack senten sentences to be brought int into line with offences such as GBH with int intent, manslaught manslaughter and murde murder.
Adoptiv Adoptive mum Paula, 51, said: “What an incredibl incredible day. To hear the words ‘T ‘Tony’s Law’ was just amazin amazing and very emotional for us all. I had tears in my eyes.”
Ton Tonbridge and Malling MP Tom said: “I s seek to do this not only on behalf o of Tony Hudgell but for all those i innocent children who have
Police Scotland and the Police Service of Northern Ireland declined to respond.
In a separate survey the firm found that 17 per cent out of 1,005 adults did not try to lock their sheds.
Of those taking security seriously, 68 per cent used padlocks, 46 per cent had outdoor sensor lighting, 16 per cent had outdoor alarms and 13 per cent fitted tted anti-tamper screws. Just 15 per cent of people said they removed oved valuables overnight.
Jack Sutcliffe of Tiger Sheds eds said: “A lot of us have the ‘out of sight, ight, out of mind’ mentality for our sheds. eds.
“But this lack of security can an prove irresistible for burglars.
“If your shed is only used sed for storage, blocking out windows s is helpful as thieves are more likely to break in if they can see your valuables. les.
“Using opaque stick- on security sheets makes windows harder to break and prevents glass shattering.” .”