Theft of wooden fence panels on the rise

London: Thieves are stealing wooden fence panels from gardens because of soaring prices, industry experts warn.

Many DIY chains and hardware stores have run out of panels or have hiked prices due to a fivefold rise in demand caused by the stormy winter.

Now experts have said the `national fencing crisis’ could continue for months and homeowners are warned to keep fence panels bolted down after a spate of thefts across the country.

With demand for replacement panels to fix storm damage so high, stolen panels can fetch £80 (Dh496.35)each on the black market — four times their value. Fencing company Earnshaws, of Wakefield, West Yorkshire, has advised customers not to panic buy panels at high prices.

“Anyone willing to pay the price of £80 might find they are actually purchasing someone else’s panels that have been stolen to order,” a spokesman said. “If you are concerned about your existing fence panels please check to see how they have been secured to their posts.”

Janet Coupe, 55, lost half her fence panels to thieves over the bank holiday weekend and they then returned to her home near Blackburn on Thursday to snatch the remainder.

She said: “I heard a bang and it woke me at around 1am. In the morning, when I woke up, half of my fence panels had gone. Now, a few days later they’ve come back for the rest — it’s just unbelievable.” A spokesman for Lancashire Police said they are investigating how thieves made off with the five fence panels, worth around £100.

Last month, Marion and Roy Webster had seven fence panels taken from their ‘pride and joy’ garden while they were asleep at home in Bolton. The panels had been installed just a month earlier.

Mrs Webster, who is retired, said: “I look after my garden and I saved to replace my privet hedge with a fence to make it easier to maintain and now my privacy has gone.”

In March, pharmaceutical rep Emma Tidball, 30, had three panels stolen from her garden fence in Bournemouth. When she tried to buy replacements at BandQ she was told the standard panels had sold out and police warned there had been five similar thefts in the area in 12 weeks. She said: “I came down to let the dogs and chickens out and they had gone. I just thought: ‘It’s ridiculous’.”

Over the past month, panels have been reported stolen around the country from gardens, builders’ merchants and even a school.

After five major storms since last November, the floods at the start of the year worsened the panel shortage. The swamped ground meant timber suppliers could not access woodland, so wood stocks are low.

A boom in construction has added to the problem, leaving many fencing companies struggling to source enough timber to meet demand.

A spokesman for Absolute Property Services described the situation as “a serious fencing crisis”.

Peter Stone, of the British Home Enhancement Trade Association, warned that the supply problem could soon begin to affect garden sheds and trellises as well.