RESIDENTS have been urged to ensure they take adequate steps to prevent shed and garage break-ins.

The advice was reiterated by North Wales Police on Monday.

A spokesman encouraged the public to make sure that shed doors, door frames and walls are solid, as well as replacing any damaged or rotten areas with new sections.

Further shed security tips include:

  • Try to place the shed door facing your house and not too close to a perimeter wall or gate.
  • Consider keeping valuable items in a strong lockable box or cage.
  • Fit two closed shackle padlocks on strong padlock hasps - one a third of the way up from the bottom of the door and one a third of the way down from the top of the door.
  • Fit wire mesh or bars on the inside of your window frames.
  • Wrap a strong chain around and through the handles of garden tools, lawn mowers, cycles etc and secure the chain to the wall using a padlock or a ground anchor fixed to the base of the shed.
  • Consider integrating your shed into your home alarm system, especially if you have valuable items in it. Use door contact sensors and check your glass is secure before installing break glass sensors.
  • Illuminate the area around your shed using dusk till dawn lighting.

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The force also released the following tips for garage security:

  • If you have a household alarm fitted, consider extending the system into the garage area.
  • Fit a garage door blocker on the outside of the door. This product bolts permanently to the floor, has a large 'T' bar shaped restrictor and a quality locking device.
  • Consider fitting a pair of garage door locks that are fitted either vertically or horizontally and can be locked either from the inside or outside of the garage.
  • Install dead bolts mounted one on each edge of the door inside the garage. When in use, the locks throw a bolt into the doorframe or the concrete floor of the garage.
  • Various good quality 'up and over' or 'rolling' deadlocking door handles can be purchased to replace any existing poor quality locks to give better security.
  • Consider purchasing loop cables. These have a long braided steel cable and a two-bolt anchor locking point. These fix to garage walls or floors and can be passed through expensive property such as quad bikes, etc. Some cables are alarmed.

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