How to deter shed robbers

[Limth]

Someone was in my garden last night. For various reasons, I suspect it was a recky and they'll be back again to empty the shed.

I've locked everything up. I'll keep the outside light on tonight. I might put some pots across their access route.

What else can I do to deter them? Serious answers welcome but I know what you lot are like!

[Title edited by MNHQ at OP's request]

Carefully prop your spikiest rake against the inside of the shed door as you leave (spikey end at the top).

When the burglar opens the door, it will fall on him.

I like the idea of leaving the rake against the door. I just wanted to add smear something like chilli paste all over it first.

Create a hazard triangle sign with text of your choice, such as:

danger of death
biological waste storage
asbestos
gamma ray test site 🤔

A rape alarm - please let me explain as it sounds like I'm taking the piss!

Fit the alarm to the door and then tap in a nail to the frame, loop the pull ribbon over the nail - you can keep the door ajar when doing this/activating the alarm.

If someone opens the shed door fully, the alarm loop is pulled and goes off - they're VERY loud!

They don't know that. Put up a sign saying you do.

And a beware of the dog sign.

If you want security, you could look at getting a shed from Asgard, British made and super secure. We have two in our garden, not cheap but stops the thieves in their tracks.

I had a spate where my garden kept getting broken into and the shed. After getting fed up, I reported to 101 in case it was happening to other neighbours. Nope, just me.

My solution (apart from bolting back gate and putting up a motion sensor light) was to not clear up dog shit from the gate to the shed and make the shed look like chaos. Think huge plastic paddling pool, a few plastic chairs, that kind of crap. Chancers ended up trudging through dog crap, get to the shed, have a load of plastic fall on them and they'd leg it.

My shed is full of tools - some quite expensive. I've made internal shutters for the windows which slide up within a frame and then bolt in place so that from the outside, there is glass and then an inch of wood firmly secured in place. The screws for the door hinges have been changed for security screws with weird shaped heads (each is different - buy from Screwfix along with the adapters), and there is a security bar across the door which is padlocked into position. It's not foolproof but enough to deter casual burglars or cause them to look for somewhere simpler. The only downside is that any security measures scream "there's something expensive in the shed" but it's either that or lose everything.

wire up the shed handle to the mains. sorted.

Create a very noisy gravel path from the garden gate to the shed. Make everything very light and noisy, so lots of wind chimes, rape alarms and motion lights.

Failing that put a big beware of the dog sign and borrow/get an XL bully, plenty going cheap atm.

I was thinking the same thing. 🤣

If they've done a recce and seen nothing of value, why would they be coming back? As PP have said, they're most likely looking for tools and seen you don't have any in there.

Hopefully they won't come back op. It's terrible people can't have nice things without fear of them being stollen.

I would suggest making the area light and as noisy as possible for any intruders.

Hang a Guy Fawkes type of thing from a noose on the ceiling.

Or just a noose, just inside the door

The acronym LASER stands for "Light Amplification by Stimulated Emission of Radiation". Tain't "lazer".

Our shed has unwittingly become the type that burglars give up on because they haven't got all night to find the good stuff. If I can't find things that I know are in there and roughly where, they don't stand a chance either.

Plus cobwebs like nets, presumably to catch small birds or rodents, to the face. That's startlingly repulsive even if you don't mind spiders.

Gee, I didn't think I could care any less about something.

Is your shed still in tact @Limth

Shed still in tact but my neighbour thinks someone was moseying around her garden last night. Bastard.