We are all ware that summer has arrived, with many parts of the country basking in sunshine! Barbecue fans will no doubt being taking every opportunity to eat al fresco along with spending time relaxing in their gardens.

The credit crunch is seeing far more people spending their leisure time at home, as such, sales of barbecues, garden and patio furniture have remained stable. With the host of TV programmes telling us how to re-landscape, add decking and enhance patio areas the amount of money being spent on garden improvements has seen a steady increase this summer.

However, the styles of garden furniture and up-grades to the latest gas barbecues has also seen an increase in theft. Many people are blissfully unaware that these commodities are easy pickings for opportunist thieves as they are easy to obtain, simply by jumping over a fence in many cases, and are also fast turnaround goods on the black market.

Children\'s bikes, swings and slides are also targeted as they are often left outside overnight and are too much of a temptation of petty criminals to pass by. It has even been know for rotary style washing lines to be lifted out of the ground, which comes as a real shock when you go to hang your washing out and find it not there!

Of course the old time \'pinching\' of clothes from washing left on lines overnight is no longer restricted to those who get a \'kick\' out of doing such things. Designer labels command a high price as such they also make for easy pickings which are easy to sell on.

What many people may not realise is that their insurance may not provide them with cover for these types of items, more particularly if they are left outside rather than being stowed after use in a shed or garage which may be covered by their insurance policy.

You will need to read the terms and conditions of your policy to check whether you will be able to make a justifiable claim should you be subjected to this type of burglary. Many policies will judge outside items which are not securely fastened or put away in a shed when not in use as a breach in the schedule and not award a claim.

To make sure you have all outside furniture, garden equipment as well as children\'s play items it is well worth checking the policy to see what restrictions are applicable, if necessary you should make the insurers aware that you have these types of commodities.

Taking the necessary steps to prevent this type of theft is relatively easy, putting bikes and furniture away in sheds or a garage and making sure both are securely locked, not leaving washing on the line overnight are time consuming and annoying, but sadly the respect for other people\'s property does not apply to everyone and these necessary precautions may help to reduce the risk of you being targeted by opportunist thieves.

Having the correct contents insurance which also includes garden items is also a proactive way of enabling you to be less worried about becoming a statistic on the burglary lists, more especially if you live in know high crime areas of the country.